Paraguay - New Zealand - 25/06/2010Source : guardian.co.uk + Reuters
New Zealand fans clash with riot police after third draw• Fans forced out of the ground after All Whites' third draw
• 'We will not go through another World Cup unbeaten'
New Zealand fans and players clashed with police and security staff after the All Whites' remarkable World Cup run ended just one point short of a historic qualification for the knockout stages.
Fans on one side of the ground were forcibly removed by riot police, while players on the opposite side of the stadium had to wrestle with Fifa officials to get to their family and friends, according to reports in New Zealand last night.
About 20 minutes after the players had returned to the dressing rooms, police asked the New Zealand fans to leave. But about 100 of them refused to move and continued singing. Riot police then moved up the stands, pushing the fans back with their shields and batons and into the stairwells behind the stands.
Despite the clashes the police spokesman Colonel Hangwani Mulaudzi said it was a peaceful confrontation. "A group of New Zealand fans were singing inside the stadium after the match. They were happy that their team had drawn," Mulaudzi said. "Police told them to move on, that the game had finished and they obliged. Everything was friendly."
The goalless draw was enough to ensure Paraguay finished top of Group F. Despite the All Whites' elimination their coach, Ricki Herbert, was proud of his team's performances after remaining unbeaten and finishing ahead of the world champions, Italy.
"I am delighted with what the guys have done. I'll need to pinch myself," he said. "Probably tonight was always going to be based on those one or two chances and, if we got them, then great.
"We will not go through another World Cup unbeaten. It is only our second time at the World Cup so to come here and completely reverse what we did before [they lost all three matches in Spain in 1982] is amazing.
"Can you get any closer [to qualifying]? A lot of people thought we shouldn't have been here, that we had amateurs in the team that weren't good enough but I think that is dead and buried now."
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Source : stuff.co.nz
NZ to investigate fan and police clashes New Zealand Football is investigating the clashes between the Polokwane police and about 100 All Whites fans at the Peter Mokaba Stadium after the match against Paraguay.
Chairman Frank van Hattum had seen some scuffles on the south side of the stadium but was unaware there had been more serious confrontations on the north side, long after the team and most fans had left.
"This is a huge shame,'' Van Hattum said, "And I don't hope this is going to be the story of what was such a tremendous World Cup.''
The chairman said the local security staff in Polokwane were particularly sensitive to fan behaviour after an Algerian fan had charged onto the field during an earlier match at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Van Hattum was present earlier when security staff manhandled some players who tried to get to the stand and said "that was just a bit of a misunderstanding'', but had not seen the riot police clearing out the last part of the All Whites section about 30 minutes later. "I'll need to go and talk to a few fans first who were on that side,'' said Van Hattum.
The chairman was clearly upset by a small group of Kiwis potentially overshadowing a magic event for New Zealand fans. "Our fans have just been outstanding at all the games, so I am really surprised if this happened.''
According to New Zealand photographers caught in the middle of the action, the local police politely asked the New Zealanders to leave on several occasions, but only got abusive chants in return. Many of the group were clearly under the influence of alcohol and did not want their World Cup celebrations to stop.
"This is a playing park, not a celebration park,'' yelled a senior police officer who pleaded with the New Zealanders to continue their party in town.
After getting little response, about 50 officers with shields, helmets and padding slowly pushed the All Whites fans up the stands and down the stairwells of the north stand.
The party quickly turned sour as a handful of fans confronted the police, and some scuffles continuing in the bowels of the stadium.
Fifa was last night unaware of the incident and directed media inquiries to the South African police.
Police spokesman Motlafela Mojapelo denied there were any major confrontations and no arrests had been made.
''Inside and around the stadium, no violence was reported with any of the police posts in operation,'' Mojapelo told Associated Press. ''Police escorted the fans to the city centre without problems.''
A second police spokesman, Colonel Hangwani Mulaudzi, also played down the confrontations. ''Police told them to move on, that the game had finished and they obliged. Everything was friendly.''
Yesterday at 2:34 pm by UFW Maltchickers
