Football fans pound on plastic chairs after invading the pitch to attack a referee on allegations that he allowed a handball to stand. (Courtesy)

It is not uncommon for football fans to fight over minor issues on the pitch, but several football tournaments across South Sudan, mostly organized to cement peace among communities, have so far become a source of violence and chaos.

From late 2022 to 2023, five consecutive incidents of pitch invasions, violent assaults against football referees, and riots were reported in Yambio, Wau, and Juba in what a retired football referee described as a virus that needs to be addressed.

– Rumbek East – Cueibet match –

The latest incident occurred during a semifinal tournament for Lakes State counties in Juba on July 31, 2023.

The match between Cueibet and Rumbek East was canceled in the 28th minute after fans were allegedly involved in a fistfight at Buluk playground.

The brawl reportedly started over the celebration of an own goal scored by Rumbek East team.

Lakes State Olympic Tournament Committee later found that a Rumbek East Player was punched and injured by a fan forcing the match to cancel.

In an emergency meeting on, Monday, July 31, 2023, to address the situation, the committee imposed disciplinary measures “to ensure the discipline and safety of the players and referees, and all those involved.”

It then slapped Cueibet Football Club with a fine of 350,000 South Sudanese pounds for failing to control their supporters.

“Cueibet County is fined an amount of 350,000 SSP for failing to control their fans who ran into the pitch and punched a Rumbek East player’s neck. Failure to comply with the resolution, in the opponent will declare the winner,” reads the resolution.

Cueibet has been fined for violating Article 20 of Lakes State Olympic, which stipulates that any team supporter or fan or player who fights a referee, organizers, or the team will be fined or suspended or banned if it goes against sports communities.

The state Olympic Committee further resolved that the match between Rumbek East and Cueibet County, which was previously ended in the first half, will now be played behind closed doors.

– Aweil North – Pibor match – 

The final match of a peace tournament played out by Aweil North and Pibor on July 16, was prematurely ended as rowdy fans stormed Buluk playground and pummeled chairs after Pibor scored a winner in the 90s minute.

The competition dubbed Aweil Martyrs Tournament aimed to bring about peaceful cohesion, was contested by eight football clubs from Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Pibor, and Gogrial West.

But in the stoppage time of the final playoff, all hell broke loose after Aweil North fans invaded the pitch to protest a stoppage time goal – chasing the referee for allowing what they purported to be a handball to stand.

After the referee fled and high-level sports officials were whisked away, the unruly crowd then pounded on plastic chairs and damaged the artificial turf on the playground.

More than a week later, the tournament organizing committee ruled that the Pibor Football Team be crowned champions of the match that was prematurely ended over a violent pitch invasion.

The organizing committee condemned the incident. Aweil North Team has been fined two million (2,000,000) South Sudanese pounds to cover the damages during the riots.

– Yambio referee attack –

In December 2022, Yambio Local Football Association penalized and suspended Al Salam FC player, Simon James for two years after he assaulted a referee in the capital of Western Equatoria State.

The player had attacked referee Samen Makawa after he was sent off for misconduct during a match on Sunday.

The player reportedly attacked the central referee, after he was awarded a red card upon recommendation of the assistant referee.

– Juba referee attack –

On January 19, 2023, the arbitration committee of the Juba Local Football Association banned Al-Zubair Bakhit, a second division league player, for attacking an assistant referee during a match.

Black Eagle player Zubair Bakhit violently smacked the line-man Robert Sandy and knocked him down at Juba One Playground.

In the 9-second video footage shared on social media, Mr. Bakhit is seen punching his teammate who tries to hold him back from attacking the referee.

Bakhit’s outburst was allegedly as a result of a goal that he believes the lineman would have flagged as offside.

The Black Eagle players had also demanded a penalty kick that the officiating referees did not grant.

After Al-Zubair Bakhit reportedly made some offensive remarks, the central referee Mustafa Scholl then red-carded him, before he assaulted the assistant referee.

– Wau referee attack –

In November 2022, Wau football-governing body in Western Bahr el Ghazal State condemned the violent assault on a female referee by player who was sent off during a second-division match.

The incident occurred on Sunday during the game between Tadamon and Al-haly – where Ms. Sezarina Gabriel, a female referee red-carded Al-haly’s player named Mario over on-pitch misconduct.

But the player, out of anger, battered the referees as seen in several photos that shocked social media.