Polokwane City bar La Masia from recording controversy-ridden game

Polokwane City forced La Masia’s video analyst Kenneth Moyo out of the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in a drama-filled Motsepe Foundation Championship clash on Sunday afternoon.

Moyo was recording the encounters of post-match analysis, but a PLK City official and two security officers stopped him.

ORDERED TO LEAVE

They ordered him to leave the VIP area, where he was recording the game from.

The match, which ended 2-1 in favour of PLK City, was marred by controversial decisions by the referee, Olani Kwinda, who is based in Limpopo.

La Masia, also known as MM Platinum, opened the scoring in the first half before the hosts levelled terms after being awarded a dubious penalty in the second half.

“When we came to Peter Mokaba Stadium, there was a Polokwane City club official; he came to me at the VIP area and told me not to record the game,” Moyo told FARPost.

“I asked why and he said, ‘no, we had an agreement that no one should record the game’.

“Polokwane City said only SuperSport TV guys are allowed to record, but we said the guys from SuperSport are not here, so what must we do because we need the footage, the Polokwane guy told me to stop recording, and I stopped recording.”

“There was a free kick shortly after, and I took out my phone to take the clip, and the Polokwane City guy came with two security guards, and they escorted me out of the stadium. I had to call the La Masia manager to come and get me in the stadium,” added Moyo.

Bizarrely, a SuperSport TV service provider assigned to film the Motsepe Foundation tie was also turned away by PLK City.

By law, the PSL allows teams to record, although there are procedures to be followed.

DAYLIGHT ROBBERY

According to Moyo, this was the first time La Masia were denied to film a game since they gained promotion to the second-tier League earlier this year by winning the ABC Motsepe national playoffs.

“We never received any communication [from PSL/SuperSport TV] about any agreement they have with Polokwane City about not recording games,” he said.

“Usually, we record games; this is my first time not recording the game ever since.

FARPost tried multiple times to get an official comment from PLK City, but two club officials shoved this reporter, demanding that he stop recording. Another official insisted that tempers were running high; hence it was not a good time to talk.

Furthermore, La Masia coach Delano Hendricks, evidently disappointed, reiterated Moyo’s sentiments.

“In a meeting on Saturday, the PLK City team manager said they do not allow games to be recorded,” Hendricks told FARPost.

“It was the first time in my understanding of PSL football that a team doesn’t want a game to be recorded.

“Unfortunately, the broad daylight robbery in our football is getting too much now.”

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