Youth cup final ends in huge brawl

‘Mass riot’ at under-16s showpiece game

A YOUTH football cup final was abandoned after a mass brawl on the pitch.

The match between Tynecastle FC and Portobello CFA 2006s was called off after players and fans, including adults, got involved in the melee.

The incident came with seconds to go in the South East Region Cup Final in Dunbar, East Lothian, on Sunday.

The “mass riot” was sparked by a collision between the Tynecastle goalkeeper and a Portobello striker, who had to be hospitalised after the clash.

Onlookers said violence erupted with people on the field “running around like crazed animals” – and a player was struck during the “bedlam”.

Police said they were called at 6.20pm after reports of a fight.

The final ended in “sickening scenes”, according to one witness, who said fans rushed on to the pitch “fighting like two gangs”.

He added: “I witnessed a player punched to the floor when the bedlam started.”

The witness said players had been “whipped up into a frenzy” ahead of kick-off, adding: “The atmosphere was tense all afternoon.”

Portobello coach Scott Bonar said: “The matter is in the hands of the police.

“With 45 seconds to go, we got a penalty. Our player was out cold then a Tynecastle player tried to punch one of our players.

“As I ran on to tend to our players, I tried to break up a lot of pushing.”

Scott said he went to help the injured player who was then kicked in the head while lying stricken.

He added: “His eyes had rolled to the back of his head and he was choking on his tongue after the kick. From there it was chaos.”

Scott said people were “trying to calm everyone down” with parents “trying to defuse it as adults were trying to hit our players”.

He added: “It was a horrific experience when I saw our player lifeless. I thought he was dead. Our players were in hysterics.”

The dad of a Portobello player later tweeted the striker had suffered “no serious damage.”

Police said: “Inquiries are ongoing.”

Allan Archibald, for the South East Region, said: “I’ve no comment to make as it’s now a police matter.”