Johannesburg - Mbongeni Shongwe nearly became a victim of mob justice after Mbabane Highlanders fans invaded the pitch ‘to deal with’ him for poor officiating at Mavuso Sports Centre, in Manzini, eSwatini, on Sunday.
Most leagues around the world are on a hiatus due to the ongoing Fifa World Cup in Qatar, having had to release players to their respective national teams.
But the eSwatini Premier League is one the few leagues that have decided that they will continue with business as usual until the Christmas period.
On Sunday, though, ugly scenes erupted after the game between the Sea Birds and Highlanders as the latter’s fans ran onto the pitch, as Shongwe did his best to evade his attackers.
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— FARPost_ZA (@FARPostZA) November 27, 2022
Eswatini referee Mbongeni Shongwe had to run for dear life as Mbabane Highlanders fans stormed the field to 'deal with him'. pic.twitter.com/CvQCWorLMr
According to FarPost, which covered the incident, the Highlanders fans bayed for Shongwe's blood after he incorrectly awarded a winning goal to the Birds.
“The fans were unhappy after a Manzini Seabirds player seemed to have used his hand to score the winner. Seabirds won the tie 2-1,” FarPost reported.
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But luckily for Shongwe, he found “refuge in a police vehicle” which whisked him away as the fans that started to disperse.
IOL Sport