By Paul Nicholson
December 30 – The deciding game of the Malawi TNM Super League championship was abandoned after 61 minutes after fan violence leading to the death of one fan and many others left injured, six in a serious condition, on Saturday.
The match between Mighty Wanderers and Silver Strikers was played in Balaka. Strikers were a goal up and on-course to secure the point they needed to win a third straight title when the violence erupted.
The Balaka stadium holds 6,000 spectators but was turned into a battle ground as police used tear gas to try to disperse the fans.
Balaka Police spokesperson Joseph Sauka told the BBC: “We found one man laying on the ground covered in blood and rushed him to Balaka District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
“Early indications show he must have been hit with something hard like a stone or bottle in the head. We will be able to make more comments on cause of the death once the hospital has concluded an autopsy.”
Two men have been arrested and are expected to appear in court today. Sveral other fans were captured on security pictures that have been handed over to the police.
Reports are that the violence was started by Silver Strikers fans though Wanderers supporters have been involved in clashes earlier this season and were sanctioned with a home ground ban.
Super League of Malawi general secretary Williams Banda told SuperSport.com: “The fan who stoned the other to death has been arrested by the police and investigations are underway. The disciplinary committee will meet to decide the way forward of the match.”
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