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Khoza blames inadequate security for Moses Mabhida violence

Cape Town - The Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairperson Irvin Khoza addressed the media on Monday following the fan violence that occurred at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.

As it happened: PSL press conference on fan violence

Kaizer Chiefs suffered a shock 2-0 defeat against Free State Stars in their Nedbank Cup semi-final, following which hundreds of supporters stormed the field of play as the final whistle was blown.

Stadium property and broadcasting equipment was damaged and several security guards were hospitalised.

Under-fire Amakhosi coach Steve Komphela tendered his resignation following the match.

Videos and pictures went viral as social media reported that one security guard - who was particularly brutally attacked - had in fact died.

However, Khoza revealed that the guard, who was initially reported to be female, was in fact a male - and was discharged from hospital on Monday morning.

"Regarding the security member that was kicked... the person that was kicked was a male, and he was treated and later released from hospital," said Khoza at the press conference held in Johannesburg.

This was not the first such incident in little over a year after Orlando Pirates supporters took to the field of play during their 6-0 defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns in February 2017.

And nine months ago, two soccer supporters were killed in a stampede at FNB Stadium during the Soweto derby clash between Chiefs and Pirates.

"The league is extremely shocked at the violence that took place at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night. I want to make it clear that there is no place for violence in our stadiums and society," Khoza said.

"We apologise to all the stakeholders and broadcasters for the damage caused to their property. The pictures of the pitch invasion in the media are not good for the image of our local football.

"Let me say that the league takes its responsibility to secure the safety of the fans, players and officials very seriously. There will be a thorough investigation. We also note the upward trend of increasing violence at stadiums."

The 70-year-old Khoza accepted that the league failed to deploy adequate police and security to prevent such an incident and blamed the lack of budget to do so. 

"The league held a meeting and noted the increasing criminality especially at highly-supported matches and a strong message must be sent to deal with this trend. It cannot be allowed to continue."

Khoza was not in a position to disclose whether Chiefs will face any further sanction for the matter after recently being fined R200 000 for crowd trouble.

No decision can be made without a PSL Disciplinary Committee (DC) first charging the team and having a hearing.

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