Verdes player Jessie August attacked by Altitude FC fans in Independence; authorities promise investigation and discipline

Published by BBNTEAM at August 21, 2022

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Posted: Sunday, August 21, 2022. 7:03 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: A rare bout of violence in sports occurred on Saturday night at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence village after the conclusion of the Premier League of Belize game between visiting Verdes F.C. of Cayo and hosts Altitude F.C.

Jesse August, midfielder and Belize National Team player, scored the game’s only goal in what appeared to be a hot-tempered affair between the league’s top teams. He previously played for Altitude F.C. before being acquired by Verdes this season.

After concluding a hard-fought victory, according to reports from the stadium, August and his fellows were celebrating when rowdy fans managed to get onto the field and one of them attacked, knocking him down, then several of them proceeded to kick and stomp him although he was able to avoid serious injury. Fans of the team say police officers assigned to the stadium failed to respond adequately to stop the attack.

The Premier League has said in a statement that “Violence has no place in the beautiful game that we know as football,” adding that the incident is under review.

Altitude F.C. have issued a statement also condemning the attack, reiterating that despite their security measures, passionate fans will be known to behave aggressively and also blaming police for not responding adequately. They say they will cooperate with the Premier League in determining appropriate sanctions, which may include closed-door matches.

The problem with fan violence at games is nothing new, with leagues elsewhere forced to ban fans after breaches such as in Europe and in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably in the case of the so-called “Malice at the Palace” on November 19, 2005, when NBA players responded to fan heckling and aggression by going into the stands to physically attack fans.

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