South African league game abandoned after pitch invasion
South African police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades Sunday to disperse a crowd who invaded the pitch and forced the abandonment of a national league match in Bloemfontein.
Authorities said there were no reports of casualties after a Premiership fixture between Bloemfontein Celtic and Cape Town City ended 23 minutes into the first half with no goals scored.
The reason for the pitch invasion was not immediately known in a match pitting fifth-place Cape Town against 10th-place Celtic.
An eye witness told AFP that when the pitch was invaded, the players, coaches and technical staff hurried to the safety of the changing rooms.
In a Durban derby, mid-table Golden Arrows and relegation-threatened AmaZulu drew 1-1 with both goals coming during the first half.
A powerful header from Togo centre-back Sadat Ouro-Akoriko off a corner gave AmaZulu a 12th-minute lead that did not last long.
Arrows struck the woodwork six minutes later from an angled free-kick and Divine Lunga slammed the rebound through a crowd of players and into the net.
The result left AmaZulu three points above the relegation zone, but three of the five other clubs involved in the struggle to avoid the drop have played one match less.