The long-awaited judgment in the case of the abandoned match between Karoi United and Scottland in the Northern Region Division One Soccer League will be released this Wednesday.
As reported by NewsDay, the delivery of the verdict was postponed due to several issues, primarily the unavailability of Karoi United’s lawyer before the hearing.
After the hearing, delays occurred as all parties needed to be present for the announcement of the Disciplinary Committee’s determination, with lawyers insisting on their presence.
The judgment could significantly impact the league title race, as Scottland is in close competition with log leaders MWOS FC for promotion to the top flight.
The two teams are separated by just one point, and a favourable ruling for Scottland could elevate them to the top of the standings before the season’s final matches.
The match was abandoned while tied at 1-1, with referee Mathew Dingo claiming he was struck by an object thrown by a fan, preventing him from continuing the game with eight minutes remaining.
According to league rules, if a match is abandoned due to actions by a team’s players, officials, or fans, the other team is awarded a 3-0 victory.
Karoi United has not denied that a fan struck the referee but contends that he was hit by the match ball, not a foreign object as alleged.
The match was played on September 15, and the hearing was conducted last month.
Match commissioner Kanzvimbo Kanzvimbo reported that match officials were consistently threatened with violence throughout the game. Part of Kanzvimbo’s report reads:
Karoi United goalkeeper (Monze) started feigning injuries, delaying the restart of play. He was verbally warned several times and at 82 minutes, the referee (Dingo) went to caution him for a similar offence (and) during that process, Karoi United supporters who were behind the goals threw missiles at him and he fell. Police and medical teams entered the field of play to assist him.
The referees had to go to the changing rooms for safety and further treatment. Karoi United fans advanced and surrounded the changing room demanding that they be released.
I was sprinkled with unknown liquid substances as I moved in and out of changing rooms to check on the safety of players.
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