JOHANNESBURG - Bidvest Wits coach, Gavin Hunt, slammed the acts of hooliganism that have resurfaced in the local game, describing the perpetrators as “lower than a scum of the earth”.
Kaizer Chiefs’ fans went on a rampage at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday after their 2-0 loss to Free State Stars.
Chiefs’ fans threw missiles, invaded the pitch, burnt some chairs at the venue and destroyed broadcasters’ equipment.
READ MORE: Kaizer Chiefs charged by PSL for stadium violence
The most sickening scene from that incident was a group of Chiefs’ fans attacking a security guard who was on the floor, beating that guard to unconsciousness.
This happened two days after Amakhosi were fined R250000, with R200000 suspended for two years on condition that they aren’t found guilty of a similar incident during that time, as punishment for their fans throwing missiles and trying to destroy property at FNB Stadium earlier this month after their 3-0 home loss to Chippa United.
Last season it was Orlando Pirates’ fans who were responsible for a barbaric incident in the league after they ran amok at Loftus Versfeld during their team's 6-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns.
READ MORE: Chiefs, Pirates have a history of fan violence
They also destroyed property at the stadium, including broadcasters’ and photographers’ equipment, along with starting brawls that led to several injuries - including some to children. More than a year after that incident, the Premier Soccer League’s disciplinary committee finally punished Pirates by ordering them to play two home games behind closed doors.
However, one of those matches was suspended for a period of two years. The sole match that Pirates will play behind closed doors is against Wits on Wednesday at Orlando Stadium.
“It will make a big difference,” Hunt said. “It’s not nice but people need to realise that (such acts aren’t welcomed in our game) and people need to be disciplined. What happened in Durban was unacceptable.
READ MORE: Khoza blames police for Moses Mabhida Stadium violence
"We went back to my time, the early 80s. That poor woman who was kicked on her face (who has since been revealed to be a male, Sabela Maziba), the security guard was on the ground.
"The guy ran and kicked her on the face. That’s not a man (who did that), he is lower than a scum of the earth. What he did is unacceptable. You don’t kick people on the face while they’re on the ground. They’ve done nothing to them.”
Wits will look to use their match against Pirates to turn things around and finish the season strongly.
The reigning league champions are on a five-match winless run in the Absa Premiership and Caf Confederation Cup. They stole a point at the death against Polokwane City at Bidvest Stadium on Sunday right after what Hunt called a "trip from hell" to Calabar which saw them eliminated by Nigerian giants Enyimba in the Confederation Cup play-offs.
“I am very disappointed with the players,” Hunt said. “I back my players all the time. I can’t back them after that performance (against Polokwane).
“The trip to Nigeria was a nightmare. It’s a disgrace. It shouldn’t happen in football. It was a joke. I am not even going to get into it. You can’t play there. Red cards and disallowed goals.
"Tackles were crazy. The pitch wasanyway, I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t think that the problem was the legs (against Polokwane). It’s mental because of what we went through in Calabar.
"We had to take some of the players that we didn’t want to take but we did because we have a few of them.”