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The Organizing Committee of Aweil Martyrs Football Tournament has fined the Aweil North team a sum of two million South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) over fans’ inappropriate behavior.
Last weekend, a football match between Aweil North and Pibor was interrupted after Pibor scored a game-winning goal in the stoppage minute of the game.
The fighting broke out after the Pibor team scored the winning goal in the 90th minute of a football game between Aweil North and Pibor.
The melee that occurred during the match left all the spectators, including the Pibor fans, fleeing for their lives as the crowd went on a rampage, destroying chairs around the pitch.
As a result of the chaos during the match tournament that was being played in Buluk playground, the referee stopped the game and suspended it indefinitely.
However, the Organizing Committee of the Aweil Martyrs Football Tournament came up with resolutions declaring the Pibor team the winner of the match.
The Committee also charged the Aweil North team with 2,000,000 SSP for alleged misconduct of their fans during the match.
Speaking to the media in Juba today, the Secretary-General of the tournament, Marco Akol Deng stated the fine is intended to cover all damages during game.
“The fine is intended to cover the cost incurred during the final played on July 16, 2023, at Buluk Playground, when chairs were broken and the field fence was damaged,” Deng highlighted.
Marco reveals that Aweil North fans breached Article 78 of the SSFA general regulations and Paragraph 21 of the tournament regulations.
“We condemn the behavior that was caused by the Aweil North fans; this behavior is not a character trait of Aweil and its people, and we consider it extraneous and rejected by the Aweil athlete confluence in Juba,” Akol stated.
According to Akol, Article 78 of the SSFA general regulations, and paragraph 21 of the tournament regulations, the Aweil North Team is considered defeated 0/2 in favor of the Pibor Football Team.
The Secretary-General threatens that if the team failed to pay the fine, it will be disqualified and banned from participating in the competition for two (2) years.
He said, “Failure to pay it, Aweil North squad will be disqualified from participating in the competition for two (2) years, as specified in Article No. 78 of the SSFA general regulations and Paragraph 21 of the tournament.”
The organization also stated that the Aweil North fans’ actions will not deter the Aweil Martyrs’ annual competition.
The Secretary-General of the Tournament urges football fans to avoid further penalties or bans in the future.