Bakau's Super Nawettan team has been served with a ban from the competition along with a hefty fine for the violent behaviour of their fan's at a recent quarter-final game against Serekunda East in the ongoing FIBank Sponsored Super Nawettan.
The team has been given a one year ban, with a fifty thousand Dalasi (D50,000.00) fine for the violent behaviour of their fans in last week's quarter-final game against Serekunda East at the Father Gough Sports Complex in Manjai, where the team's fans clashed with Serekunda fans and the officers from the Police Intervention Unit (PUI) who had to use tear gases to take control of the situation.
Suspended Bakau Super Nawettan Team
It was reported, the violence started when Serekunda East's Alda Mendy scored from a free kick in the latter stages of the game on last Tuesday, amid protest from Bakau players and fans about the legitimacy of the spot kick, which they believed was never a foul despite many believed the contrary. The protest that ensued forced the game to a halt for almost six minutes, with the referee Sheriff Njie sending off two players from each team, Abdoulie from Serekunda East and Bakau's Essa Jallow for their part in the confrontation. This ultimately led the game to erupt into turmoil, where Bakau fans started throwing missiles (stones and bottles) on the pitch. One of the team's officials, Adnan Moussa who has also been handed a two year ban and a Five thousand Dalasi (D5000:00) fine for his part in the brawl, was reported to have triggered the whole fracas, after confronting the referee, Mr Njie, which spurred some of the Bakau fans to jump the wire fencing around the perimeter of the pitch, where they attacked SK East players and officials, pelting them with all kind of objects.
It was also reported they have also vandalised areas of the sporting complex in Manjai, including damages to the wire fencing, the footballers' benches and some chairs on the pavilions.
Organising Committee Chairman - Lang Tombong Tamba
After the incident the tournament's Organising Committee hold an emergency disciplinary meeting where a decision was taken to ban Bakau for the second time in the competition, the first of which came in 2009, when their fans again clashed with Serekunda East fans in the final of the tournament, which was forced to be called off with SK East leading 1-0 at the time. For this reason, there was no edition of the competition in 2010, the only year that the tournament was not hosted since its inception in 1991.