The EFF commander in chief deviated from his anti-government rhetoric during a press conference on Tuesday to lobby a grenade at the supposed fans of the game.
“We don’t agree with violence. Even this thing of Pirates was not correct. Pirates is a big club and must be respected‚” he said.
The players‚ coaching staff and benches of both sides sprinted for the safety of the change-rooms.
After the PSL’s security officials were overwhelmed an SA Police Services armoured vehicle entered the pitch and teargas and stun grenades were fired.
The match resumed after the delay‚ and was completed‚ but only after fans were treated for injuries by paramedics on the field.
The Premier Soccer League has also “strongly condemned ... the acts of hooliganism by some of the fans“‚ and apologised to all the supporters and stakeholders – those who were at the stadium and also those watching on television.
“Such behaviour at our stadiums is a bad advert for our football.”The behaviour of the Pirates supporters did not sit well with the former Minister of Labour
Former SA Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni has called for Orlando Pirates to be banned from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for two seasons.
This is after Pirates fans interrupted the match between their team and Mamelodi Sundowns at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Disgruntled Pirates also damaged SuperSport's cable which disrupted television feed, before invading the pitch in the 82nd minute with Sundowns leading 6-0.
Mboweni took to Twitter to suggest that the Soweto giants should be punished.
However, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Julius Malema, who is a well-known Pirates supporter, was quick to respond to Mboweni's tweet.
After calm was restored in the stadium after an hour, the match resumed with Sundowns holding on to secure a commanding and historic 6-0 win over Pirates.
@tito_mboweni order my governor, with due respect I submit😜
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) February 11, 2017
