Brawl was uncalled for and simply unnecessary

WITH four games left in the ABC Motsepe League, the stakes have never been higher with the spot for a National First Division playoff now a two-horse race.

It will either be EC Bees or Future Tigers that will represent the Eastern Cape in the playoffs which will determine which team will be promoted to the National First Division next season.

Generally, with amateur leagues when the season reaches its tail-end, there are normally allegations of match-fixing and underhand tactics.

It is the same with the SAB regional league where some teams win games in the boardroom. The bigger the financial muscle of a team the more their teams are likely to be victorious.

The alleged match-fixing is a widespread disease as in KwaZulu-Natal the South African Football Association was roped in to investigate last year.

Close to home, FC Buffalo and Angavu were involved in an incident that allegedly resulted in a firearm being drawn.

Not that match-fixing is a lesser crime but the silly season of the league was escalated to a physical confrontation between Bees and Tigers on Saturday when the Ginsberg club owner Vukile “Vuks” Mlanjana and cameraman Siphesihle Fanta were allegedly assaulted by the Bhisho outfit’s team manager Zama Nene and Thamsanqa “Shoes” Klaasen.

The punch-up erupted after Fanta refused to stop taking footage of the Bees and Highbury game at the Bhisho Stadium as Mlanjana had instructed him to.

The aim for taping video-footage of the game was for Tigers to be able to watch, analyse and plan how they would plot for the “Crazy Gang’s” downfall when the two teams lock horns in what will likely be a league decider on May 6.

This is a well-practised phenomenon everywhere in the world whereby teams rely on video-footage to analyse their opponents.

For Bees to try and prevent Tigers from taping the game was totally unacceptable and uncalled for.

Tigers should have been allowed to take the video as their action was not directly influencing the game.

Nene, who is said to have started the scuffle when she allegedly assaulted Fanta, should have known better.

Had Fanta retaliated, he would have been in hot water for abusing a woman. But is it fine for a woman to assault a man?

Good thing Fanta exercised restraint and decided against fighting back.

Safa has promised to take strong disciplinary action against whichever team that will be found guilty – but only after the incident has been reported.

May fairplay prevail and may the deserving team go on to represent the Eastern Cape in the playoffs and hopefully qualify for the NFD.