By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane was struck with by an object by angry fans after the disappointing 1-0 DStv Premiership loss to SuperSport United at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.
Chiefs lost their 11th game of the season – a new negative record in the PSL era – and are now without a chance to still qualify for a CAF inter-club competition next season.
According to sports writer/ commentator Mark Gleeson, Zwane was hit by a bottle and cut underneath the eye, needing treatment, which made him miss the post-match press conference.
He was hit as he entered the tunnel heading towards the change-room where supporters hung overhead, and Zwane and his players were easy targets for those throwing objects at them. Police moved quickly to try and shepherd the players to safety, but did nothing to try and clear the angry fans.
Zwane had blasted his players in his post-match television interview before he was assaulted. He bemoaned a lack of application as Chiefs were thoroughly outplayed and SuperSport could have won by a bigger margin.
He also did not shake hands with opposite number Gavin Hunt, reflecting no love lost between the pair. Hunt said afterwards that “everyone knows what happened to me at Chiefs, fired after getting into the semifinal of the Champions League”. He has told others privately he felt he was undermined by Zwane, who was his assistant at the time.
Chiefs will end the season trophy-less — their eighth barren run in a row — and outside the top three as the rebuilding phase under Zwane proved to be fruitless.