Johannesburg – Bafana Bafana striker Edward Manqele allegedly assaulted a fan, leaving him unconscious in Kagiso, on the West Rand, the Sunday World reported.
Gauteng police spokeswoman Captain Disebo Selepe told the paper a case had been opened, but no arrests had been made following the December 26 attack.
The alleged victim, Tsepo Khumalo, told the paper Manqele and his friends arrived at a house where Khumalo and others were celebrating Christmas. Khumalo allegedly extended his hand to the soccer player and greeted him by saying “Merry Christmas”.
“He slapped me in the face and when I fell to the ground, he kicked me in the body and then hit me with a bottle of Hennessy,” Khumalo was quoted as saying. The paper published a photo of his bruised face. His right eye was swollen shut.
In a statement sent to the newspaper, Manqele's agent Karabo Mathang Tshabuse confirmed the incident, yet gave a different account.
“While entering his vehicle, (Manqele) was confronted by an unknown man who presented himself as a physical threat and used abusive language towards Edward.
“Manqele had no option but to defend himself by walloping the man away from his vehicle, fearing for his safety and the safety of his girlfriend and her friend who were travelling with him.” – Sapa