Abandoned Gisborne football match sparks investigation

Central Football is investigating events leading up to the abandonment of an Eastern League first-division game at Wainui on Saturday.

Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United were leading 2-1 against Neighborhood Pizzeria Wainui Sandbar when referee
Chris Niven abandoned the game after 65 of the regulation 90 minutes.

The Gisborne Herald understands Central Football has received several reports regarding what happened.

Central Football chief operations manager Donald Piper said: “We are going through our internal processes to ensure we have all the information we require should we determine there is any potential sanction that may need to be imposed.”

“First and foremost, our concern is for the welfare of the match official. He was not injured, but all the reports received from people at the game were that the match official was put in positions he shouldn’t have been, and people were concerned for his wellbeing. People first … we are making sure he is okay.”

Asked whether the scoreline would stand, Piper said senior playing regulations stated the result at the time of abandonment would stand provided a minimum of 60 minutes of the match had been completed. The referee had indicated the match was abandoned in the 66th minute.

“The game had exceeded 60 minutes, so the assumption can be made that the result would stand,” Piper said.

Spectators have said tensions were high well before the abandonment. Wainui players felt they were “hard done by” and crowded the referee when making their case.

About the 10th minute, a Wainui player alleged he had been punched, off the ball, by a United player.

United player-coach Josh Adams alleged one of his players was punched in the head, off the ball, in the first five minutes.

One onlooker said both sides were playing a “very physical game” and tempers had frayed.

He said a language barrier might have made it difficult for the referee to communicate with the Wainui side. South America is strongly represented in the Wainui team.

Wainui coach Craig Stirton said two of his players “don’t speak English that well”, but the rest were fine with the language.

“They understand my instructions. Five or six of them [have been] part of the football community … for six years now. They have kids here.

“I’m not excusing my boys for a couple of the yellow cards, but it goes both ways. It didn’t go both ways this time ‘round. I think we got a bit shafted.”

Stirton said three of his players didn’t want to shake hands with the United players because of what was said to them during the game.

Adams said he didn’t hear anything from his team in the way of derogatory language.

“Their players were getting right in his [the referee’s] face, putting their hands on him. It wasn’t a nice game.”

Stirton said his players were passionate – “they’re loud, and proud” – and sometimes that passion and loudness could be mistaken for anger.

“We’re sort of getting hard-done-by. We seem to be the ones with a target on our back.”

Wainui went ahead early in the match. United equalised and then went ahead from the penalty spot, for an infringement off the ball.

The penalty sparked more protests. The player who was penalised was cautioned and subsequently sent off. The game continued with discontent “bubbling away”, according to one observer.

When the final act of the game unfolded, Wainui were three men down – two sent off and one in the sin bin for dissent.

A United player and the Wainui goalkeeper clashed as they waited for the ball to be delivered into the goalmouth. The referee intervened and told them he wanted none of that. The United player returned to stand in front of the keeper, who appeared to push or strike him.

The goalkeeper was shown a red card but did not leave the field. Wainui players from on and off the pitch headed towards the referee, who then abandoned the game.