Fans, players in touchline brawl

Police had to be called to an Auckland premier football match after spectators and players started brawling on the side of the pitch.

The Northern Region Football League match between Manukau United and Three Kings United at McLennan Park on Wednesday night was abandoned with six minutes to go, with Three Kings player Fabrizio Tavano left bloodied and scratched following the altercation.

Tavano had been sent off after a scuffle on the field with about 10 minutes to go.

Manukau were leading 3-2 at that point. The scuffle came about when Manukau striker Sanni Issa, who scored two goals in the match, was fouled by a Three Kings player, leading to players from both sides confronting each other.

Issa’s team-mate, Prince Quansah, was also sent off after the scuffle for a second bookable offence.

As Tavano walked up the hill between the pitch and the changing rooms, Manukau coach Kevin Fallon said he saw Tavano throw something at some spectators nearby.

Fallon was close to the action as he is currently serving a fourgame touchline ban due to an incident earlier in the season.

When Tavano reached the top of the hill a scuffle broke out, with at least one punch being thrown.

Three Kings coach Chris Milicich was on the touchline, so did not see what happened at the top of the hill, but said he turned around to see Tavano ‘‘rolling down the hill with five spectators trying to beat him up’’.

‘‘It was ridiculous. It was a bunch of random idiots doing stupid stuff.’’

A number of the Three Kings players left the field to go to Tavano’s aid, with the situation diffused thereafter.

The Manukau players remained on the pitch.

Fallon said the incident was an ‘‘absolute disgrace’’.

‘‘It shouldn’t happen. There’s no doubt about that, I’m not for things like that, on or off the field. It’s just a bloody nonsense, but at the end of the day I think they could have finished the game off.

‘‘There was very little time to go. There was one team left on that field and it was Manukau United, the rest had gone into the crowd. They all ran like bloody idiots, the Three Kings team, into the crowd.’’

NRFL competitions manager Terry Hobin was at the game and said the match had to be abandoned at that point for safety reasons.

‘‘The reason for the abandonment was essentially the safety of the match officials and the players who remained on the pitch.

‘‘Both the referee and myself felt that their safety was compromised because a confrontation has broken out between the players that have been sent off and some spectators.’’

Hobin confirmed ‘‘punches were thrown’’ and said police were called, but they did not take any further action.

The Auckland Football Federation would investigate the incident, with a result of the match still to be determined.

‘‘There is a process to go through now,’’ Hobin said.

‘‘It was ridiculous. It was a bunch of random idiots doing stupid stuff.’’ Three Kings coach Chris Milicich