Too much drama and meetings yesterday to make any posts. I could now give my account of what happened in the game on Monday.
I reached the stadium about 3:15pm on Monday. At first I thought the game was called off again as there were about 10 cars in the car park and the stadium was almost deserted. No tassa, no drums, no horns, no setta people. I sat in the first top seat of the lower (uncovered) section of the covered stands. Mr. Godfrey Adams...the same man who caused the fracas sat in the isle seat opposite me...only the stairs between us. There were two other guys there at the time. No one seemed to know each other but conversation started up. Adams started by saying that Shiva was an attacking team and Pres was a more defensive team so we were in for a good game of football. Others started to put in their own two cents. A little while later the female stadium security officer came and told him to remove his feet from the back of the seats in front of him. He willingly obliged and profusely apologized to her. (I say this is a cool fella boy...he ent give the woman no back talk). By then a lot of Shiva supporters were filling up the seats nearby. They came looking for seats in a hostile mood, saying they ent want no Pres supporters near here. Anyway the game started and I realised that I in hostile territory and I moved to sit on the isle seat to at the other end...more Presmen there.
My synopsis of the game... The referee started off good. There were some questionable decisions at times but you get that at every game. I thought that some calls were unwarranted and he could have let the game go one without the stoppages, as they seemed to be very minor infringements. Of course that is from my perspective in the stands. The good thing though was that he was VERY consistent in his calls...for both teams. The thing was that most of the infringements went against Shiva Boys who were showing to be more aggressive in their approach. They were showing as though they wanted it more than Pres in the early stages. Pres gradually got more involved in the game and won a penalty that was put away. That was the first big issue the crowd had with the referee, but it was a good call in my opinion. In the second half was more of the same from the ref. Funny thing is that there were some tackles by both teams that I thought another ref would have shown yellow cards for, but this one just spoke to the players. The turning point came when a Shiva midfielder was shown a yellow card for the manner in which he challenged for the ball. He extended his leg to win a 50-50 ball with studs showing, the ref now trying to stamp his authority on the game issued the yellow. That started to rile the crowd and a youthman walked down the steps at the side of me cussing and saying he go make a jail today.
All through the second half Mr Adams by now drinking beers that came in the stadium from who knows where, cause they not allowed to sell beers, and or glass bottled drinks in the stadium at school events. He was cussing at some of the decisions, and the same policeman who dive and tackle him was behind me with a female officer. They were contemplating approaching him, but didn't, taking into consideration the atmosphere and everything. Is when the clock started winding down and the linesman refused to raise his flag for what they thought was a hand ball in the Pres area...all hell break loose (slow mo replay showed there was no handball). Adams say he cyah take it no more and he go buss the muddah so and so head today. The mudda talk is what get the police moving one time. They started down the steps next to me, but Adams was already nearly down to the bottom of the steps. Usually there is security by the bottom stairs leading unto the track, but there were none there that day, so he had free access to the field. All the time I thought the man just grandcharging eh. Is when I see him walking across the track and emptying the contents of the Stag bottle as he approaching the linesman whose back was turned...I say nah this man serious boy. Well
he connect the bottle behind the linesman head, and that started the melee. The linesman did well to defend himself though.
More police came on the scene and fight break out between police and angry spectators. One police draw he gun and crowd scatter one time, except for the modern badboys who take off they jersey and daring the police to shoot them in front of the crowd.
We later learnt that the linesman is a Prisons Officer, which is why he was able to defend himself so. I just wondering if Adams get put away for a couple weeks or months...crapo smoke he pipe in whichever prison they send him to...
