There were ugly scenes at the Vodacom Promotional League match between Rospa United and Super Eagles at the Tshifulanani Stadium on Sunday. Things turned inside out in the 82nd minute of the game.

At that stage, Super Eagles were leading 2-1.

Super Eagles scored their leading goal in the 80th minute, after they were awarded a penalty. The officials of United were not happy with the referee’s decision to award the opponents a penalty. They clearly demonstrated this when the managing director of the team, Mr Joseph Mutavhatsindi, forced his way onto the pitch and confronted the assistant referee, Mr Vhonani Sigagammba, angrily.

“Where did we go wrong to deserve this kind of treatment? What must happen before we win the match?” asked Mr Mutavhatsindi as he confronted the lone match official. Before Sigagammba could respond to the question, Mutavhatsindi had already started manhandling him.

The other officials of the team, including the newly appointed head coach, Mr Joel Masutha, came to Sigagammba’s rescue by pulling Mutavhatsindi away. Realizing that Sigagammba was beyond his reach, Mutavhatsindi went straight to the referee, Mr Roy Mulaudzi.

Mulaudzi ran backwards to save his life, with Mutavhatsindi givng chase. The police, who were at the scene, intervened although it was a little late. The officials for the two teams requested the match officials to allow the game to be played for the remaining minutes.

Although the match officials had already made it clear that the game would not go on under the circumstances, they later succumbed to the request. Before the game could restart, the officials for United came up with a condition under which the game should be played. They said they would only play the remaining part of the game if the referees withdrew the penalty and ultimately a goal for the opponents.

The match officials put it in clear terms that they were not prepared to take any instruction from the team’s officials and the referee declared the game abandoned. A police vehicle was later allowed into the pitch to collect the match officials as the officials and the supporters for United were baying for their blood outside the pitch at that stage.