The Premier Soccer League Disciplinary Committee has fined Kaizer Chiefs R200,000 for another incident of missile-throwing by their supporters this season.
However, R50,000 of the fine is suspended for six months on condition that Amakhosi are not found guilty of the same offence again.
And as a result of the fans’ unruly behaviour, the PSL DC also warned Chiefs that they are at risk of playing a single match behind closed doors.
The Soweto giants’ fans threw objects at coach Molefi Ntseki three times in the new season. The first incident occurred at Mbombela Stadium on August 20 after the defeat to TS Galaxy in the DStv Premiership.
Frustrated by the club’s performance while calling for Ntseki to be fired, the fans repeated the same rebellious behaviour twice in September. This was during defeats to SuperSport United in the league at Peter Mokaba Stadium on September 20 and a heart-breaking 2-1 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in the second-leg of the MTN8 semi-final at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on September 23.
PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu revealed on Monday evening that Chiefs appeared before the PSL DC earlier on the day to answer for two counts of spectator misbehaviour, which occurred after the games against SuperSport and Sundowns.
Chiefs were previously fined R100,000, with R30,000 suspended, for missiles thrown at coach Molefi Ntseki after their 1-0 loss to Galaxy.
PSL PROSECUTOR ZOLA MAJAVU EXPLAINS THE VERDICT BY PSL DC
“Earlier today [Monday] Kaizer Chiefs appeared before the PSL DC to answer to two separate counts of spectator misbehaviour,” said Majavu. “This is a result of missile-throwing incidents that took place on September 20 and 23 in the PSL and MTN8 fixtures, respectively.
“They pleaded guilty as charged and having been so convicted, and upon listening to the submissions from the prosecutor and their [Chiefs’] representatives, both in mitigation and aggravation of sanction, the PSL DC issued the following ruling:
“One, you would also remember a few weeks ago Chiefs were found guilty of the same offence and issued a fine of R100,000, of which R70,000 was payable immediately and R30,000 suspended on condition that during the next 12 months they weren’t found guilty of the same offence. A few weeks later, they find themselves convicted of the same offence, which means the suspended R30,000 comes into operation immediately.
OTHER SOCCER NEWS: Chiefs pay price for fans’ actions at Mbombela Stadium
“In respect of the new contraventions, which for purposes of sanction were taken as one, they were issued with a fine of R200,000, of which R50,000 is suspended for six months on condition they are not found guilty of the same offence.
AUTOMATIC SPECTATOR BAN LOOMING
“The effective payable amount is thus R150,000. So, in total, it will be R180,000 plus the costs of today’s [Monday’s] sitting.
“Over and above that, and as a mark of the DC’s displeasure at the errant behaviour of these few fans, Chiefs were further ordered with an automatic spectator ban at the next match in the event they were found guilty of the same offence in the next six months.”
Chiefs take on Cape Town City in a league clash on Tuesday evening (19:30). They will be hoping that their fans will be on their best behaviour at FNB Stadium.