Umpire stops Diphatsa �BDF VI duel

Shingirai Madondo | Monday September 8, 2014 10:43

 

Mokubung stunned spectators and volleyball officials when he abruptly ended the match prematurely in the decisive fourth set.

Matches between BDF VI and Diphatsa - both army sides - are always tense. On Saturday, they went for each other from the first whistle, though the visiting BDF VI had the upper hand with Teko Baruti and Loatlile Tiro launching indefensible spikes.

They won the first but Diphatsa recovered their poise to emerge tops in the second. The third set was a fiercely contested affair that lasted half an hour before BDF VI triumphed. Diphatsa needed to win the fourth set to force a deciding fifth set.

But matters took a different turn when Mokubung awarded BDF a point from a serve by Diphatsa. Led by captain, Nlebesi Mphapo, Diphatsa players protested the decision saying the ball had gone out after deflecting off a BDF player. They approached Mokubung for redress. The match was held for almost 15 minutes as Mphapo and Mokubung argued. Eventually, Mokubung decided to call off the game saying he felt threatened after the Diphatsa captain charged towards him.

BDF VI coach Selebatso Mabutho said he is in dark why the match was abandoned. Mphapo, who is currently serving as Diphatsa spokesperson, said Mokubung failed to make the right decision to deal with the situation when he had a lot of options at his disposal.

Mokubung refused to talk about the issue, saying a referee is not authorised to speak to the media.