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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
TSHOLOTSHO Football Club have blasted police details that were on duty during their league match against champions Dynamos at Barbourfields Stadium last Sunday saying they did nothing while hooligans vandalised the nets and goalpost after the game. The Zhwane Boys accused the cops of watching while suspected Dynamos fans invaded the pitch, tore the nets and uprooted the goalpost at the Mpilo end.

Tsholotsho FC chairman Mlamuli Phiri said they were disturbed by the police’s inaction and threatened not to pay the cops in future for shoddy service.

Tsholotsho and Dynamos drew 1-1 after DeMbare midfielder Stephen Alimenda gifted a point to the hosts with a spectacular own goal in the 90th minute.

After the referee blew the final whistle, suspected Dynamos fans scaled the perimeter fence at the Mpilo end, ripped the nets apart and uprooted the goalpost in full view of the police.

When the Tsholotsho fans at Soweto spilled onto the pitch to celebrate with the players close to the corner flag, anti-riot squad sprung into action and drove them off the pitch.

“I personally went to the police and asked them why they were not stopping the fans from the Mpilo end and their response was that there was a Supersport cameraman dismantling his equipment so they could not unleash their dogs. I then inquired why they were chasing away fans at the Soweto end who were peacefully celebrating while leaving the violent ones and they could not give a satisfactory answer,” said Phiri.

“I pursued the matter because the fans were getting more and more violent and the police claimed they were too few to confront the fans,” he said. Phiri said they had been provided 50 cops they had requested for the match.

“It’s really sad that we seem to have partial application of the law. Is it because Dynamos is a big club, because to us, the behaviour of the police was not up to scratch on that day,” Phiri said.

Acting Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube said he was not in the office and asked Chronicle Sport to register our inquiry with the press office first.

“I’ve not been feeling well and will only be in the office tomorrow (today). No one from the office has briefed me about your inquiry,” said Ncube.