Referee Shoots Player During Soccer Dispute
A referee shot and killed a player during a soccer match after the player, angry over a disputed goal, lunged at him with a knife, police said Tuesday.
Isaac Mkhwetha, captain of the local Wallabies team in Hartbeesfontein, was fatally wounded on the playing field in front of 600 spectators.
Referee Lebogang Petrus Mokgethi pleaded innocent Tuesday and and was released on $980 bail, according to Capt. Louis Jacobs.
The shooting took place Saturday in the black township 124 miles southwest of Johannesburg after the Try Agains, another local team, scored against the Wallabies. Some Wallabie fans ran onto the field to protest the goal, which had cut the team’s lead to 2-1.
During the commotion, Mokgethi went to get his licensed 9-mm pistol, which he had given to a friend among the spectators to hold during the game, police said.
Mkhwetha left the field, got a knife and lunged at the referee, who shot Mkhwetha in the chest, according to Jacobs.
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