A grandmother was hit in the face during an altercation on the sidelines at an under-17 football match on Auckland’s North Shore last weekend.
The incident led to the game being abandoned and police being called.
Charlotte Lee had taken her mother to watch her son’s football match for Albany United against Māngere United on Sunday in Long Bay.
“She’s quite little, only five foot and a bit, your typical grey-haired lady,” Lee told 1News. “I couldn’t believe she ended up being the one that got hit and her lip split.”
Lee described the scene as “chaotic and aggressive” and said a row was sparked by a foul tackle on the field. It then became physical and punches were thrown with her 75-year-old mother being hit in the mouth, she said.
Lee said her mother was “really shaken up” following the incident.
“She’s got atrial fibrillation, so that started making her heart go off which was a bit worrying. We had to put her in the car and calm her down and help her out.”
Lee’s son was “quite upset” when he learnt from one of his Albany United teammates that his grandmother had been hit.
“He said to his nan, ‘I’ll understand if you don’t want to come and watch another one of my football games’,” Lee said.
The Albany United coach told the referee his team didn’t want to continue playing after learning the woman had been hit.
Game abandoned
Northern Region Football, which organises the Auckland under-17 Championship division, confirmed the game had been stopped at around the 70 minute mark.
“A disciplinary investigation is also ongoing,” a spokesperson said.
It did not comment on whether there had been any other incidents or concerns.
It is understood police attended and took statements though a police spokesperson was unable to confirm if there were any developments in the investigation.
Behaviour on the sideline
Lee had a message for parents and supporters attending youth games.
“These are children learning how to play a sport. Their behaviour on the sideline impacts their child’s psychology. If you can’t manage your emotions, do everyone a favour and don’t turn up,” she said.
Reflecting the broader issue of violence at children’s sport, Lee added: “We’re in New Zealand, right? We pride ourselves on being sporty, not violent. But violence seems to be taking precedence, and I think that’s quite embarrassing as a nation.”