Assistant referee attacked InterCol final abandoned

The match which was originally carded to be played last week, but was delayed due to a replay of the semifinal between Shiva Boys and Pleasantville Secondary, kicked off yesterday, but had to be cancelled with 10 minutes remaining in the encounter after a moment of madness from an unruly observer, who opted to scale over the stadium’s railings to attack the match official.
 
The incomplete fixture was staged at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. It was abandoned just after the 80th minute of play when the assistant referee on the sideline was allegedly struck in the head with a glass bottle from the spectator. The attack resulted in a bloody wound to the head of the official, before a scuffle ensued between the two parties.
 
Police eventually caught up with the attacker and arrested him, while the referee was taken to hospital. The police, some of whom were attacked, also had to deal with incidents of brawls in the crowd. The remaining minutes of the match will be played tomorrow behind closed doors at the same venue.

The semifinal between the winner of the encounter and the defending champion St Anthony’s College was originally carded for the same day, but will obviously be postponed due to the incident.
 
Presentation may well have been on its way to the a yet another National semifinal as it held the 2-1 lead before the match was abandoned. All goals were scored in the first half, with “Pres” taking the first lead through a penalty kick, before Shiva equalized via a Kyle Thomas strike. National forward Shackiel Henry subsequently scored to give Presentation its second lead of the match.
 
Nevertheless, the first semifinal will be played today when first time Central Zone champion Chaguanas North meets East Zone winner St Augustine Secondary, at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, at 4 pm.

Chaguanas North will be out in full force hoping to emulate the result which saw it defeat the nine-time consecutive league champion and Big-Five winner Carapichaima East Secondary on penalty kick, following a 1-1 draw at full time in the Central Zone InterCol final.
 
St Augustine’s “Green Machine” will also seek to build on its attacking prowess but improve defensively following the 6-3 victory it claimed over Tobago champion Speyside Secondary in the preliminary stage of the National InterCol on Friday.

Fan attacks linesman, match stopped
BY JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (Newsday).

VIOLENCE in sport raised its ugly head once more yesterday as a heated South Zone Intercol final between Presentation College and Shiva Boys Hindu College was abandoned after an unruly spectator ran to the sideline and smashed a beer bottle on the head of one of the linesmen.

With just 10 minutes to go before the final whistle at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, a supporter unhappy with the official’s decisions throughout the encounter opted to take things into his own hands, as Presentation led 2-1 with goals from Ancil Williams (30th) and Shakiel Henry (46th). The lone goal for Shiva Boys was scored by Nathaniel Garvia in the 33rd minute.

The spectator who had been routing for Shiva Boys, reacted after a decision by the assistant referee that appeared to have been against his team.

Three police officers immediately stormed th pitch and wrestled the spectator to the ground while other officials ran to the assistance of their colleague. Later as police attempted to escort the spectator out of the stadium another crowd of supporters attacked the spectator, beating him about the body.

Police officers themselves had to rush for cover as the irate fan was literally pulled out of their grasp and kicked and cuffed while on the ground. Police officers had to call for backup of three other officers to help stop the crowd from injuring the man.

The man was eventually handcuffed and taken to the Marabella Police Station. The incident shocked many supporters who attended the game to support their team. General Secretary of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) expressed shocked with the incident but explained that the final 10 minutes of the match will be replayed later this week.

He told the media that the game will be closed to the public and will have a strong police presence.

Meanwhile Shiva Boys fans openly expressed concerns about the standard of the officiating after the fracas. One Shiva Boys fan said “They doing we this whole season. When they (Presentation) come in we home turf in Penal, is the same thing. Why it have to always be against Shiva Boys?”

Another spectator said while he was against the actions of the irate spectator he was disturbed by the officiating in the competition.

President of the SSFL Ewing Davis stated that the game’s final minutes will be played tomorrow behinds closed doors. But members of the public have criticised the SSFL for the decision to have the game as a closed-door one.

South Final ends in chaos and without result.
PresFootball.com.

The South Zone Intercol Final between Presentation College and Shiva Boys Hindu College ended in a no result today when an unruly fan made his way on to the field and attacked the assistant referee. With 80 minutes elapsed, the officials had no choice but to call the game off. 

That incident spoiled the end to a high intensity final that was filled with good football. Shiva should have taken the lead 7 minutes into the game but a point blank save by Kelvin Henry kept the scores level. It was Anjel Williams though who would give Presentation the lead after 33 minutes when he converted a penalty. A Shiva Boys defender was adjudged to have used his hand illegally inside the 18 yard box, giving Pres a chance from 12 yards out.

The lead would only last 7 minutes as Shiva's talisman, Nathaniel Garcia picked up a pass from 19 yards out and unleashed a a low and hard shot past Kelvin Henry at the near post, 1-1 after 40minutes.

National Under 20 striker, Shackiel Henry restored Pres' lead 5 minutes after when he received a terrific through ball from Civaughn Dimsoy that pierced the Shiva defense. Henry rounded the advancing Quesi Weston in goal and with the tightest of angles he used the outside of his right foot to place his shot into the net, 2-1 to Pres after 45 minutes.

The two teams emerged after the half time interval with points to prove, setting up a mouth watering 45 minutes, or so we hoped. Anjel Williams thought he scored in the 65th but Weston stopped the goal bound effort with ease. Shiva then tested Kelvin Henry once again; a well taken shot from 25 yards out was heading for the "vee" of the goal, however Henry pushed the effort for a corner.

Shiva Boys pulled out all the stops as they brought on their substitute goal-keeper and placed Weston as a striker in a last gasp attempt. The Shiva fans went in uproar when what they thought what was a handball was not given. Immediately following this, two persons from the Shiva Boys fans area made their way hastily onto the running track. One of the men pulled out what seemed to be a knife and attacked the nearside assistant referee.

In an attempt to protect himself the linesman used his flag to fend off his assailant as police officers were quickly on the attacker. While attempting to subdue the culprit, more fans of Shiva Boys began to attack the police officers in a bid to free their colleague. Soon after, armed officers from the Guard & Emergency Branch (GEB) alighted to calm the situation.

The officials subsequently called the game off as they tended to the linesman's injuries. The SSFL have made the suggestion that the remaining 10 minutes be played out behind closed doors and with heavy police presence on Wednesday. This decision will only be confirmed after they consult with the T&T Football Federation and the Referee's Association on Tuesday.

With a dark cloud of indiscipline continuously hovering over the Penal outfit there were many in the crowd from supporters to referees calling for the immediate dismissal of Shiva Boys from the College's league.