Zim referee bashed in Binga over controversial penalty

VIOLENCE reared its ugly head once again in the Zifa Southern Region when a referee was assaulted by an angry mob in Binga on Saturday.

The hapless match official was savaged for allegedly awarding a dubious penalty to ZPC Hwange in a match that the hosts lost two goals to one.

In a video that has gone viral, in an embarrassing fashion, the referee is seen taking heavy blows from an unrelenting mob of Binga fans.

The heavily battered match official is seen trying to defend himself from the marauding crowd with a stick.

Southern Region League chairman Andrew Tapela said the video -and actions of the supporters were an embarrassment to the league and football in general.

The league, as expected, would institute an inquiry into the matter and sanction the guilty party.

For now, it still an alleged case of violence on a match official, we (Zifa Southern Region) will call all the parties concerned and deal with the case accordingly.

Let me hasten to say that as a region, we condemn such behaviour in the strongest terms. We are a law-abiding football entity and as such we expect clubs and fans to hold themselves in a way that respects the rules of the game, said Tapela.

bmetro