The Port Moresby Australian Football League (AFL) Association has put its foot down to suspend for an indefinite period the Gordons Kokofas football club from the competition for its involvement in the on field violence that occurred during the 2023 grand final match.
The Association President Mr. Douglas Lai said the decision had to be made due to the severity of the incident and the destructions the club’s players and fans did during the time of the incident last year.
“We had to do this you know,” stressed the Port Moresby AFL Association President.
“We’re doing this to send a warning to the other clubs that the Association will impose harsh penalties on clubs that cause trouble during competitions.”
He also went to add that the action taken was also to protect sponsor’s confidence in the semi- professional competition.
Last year saw the violent clash erupted during the third- quarter of the main grand final match of the Senior Men’s Division between Gereka Bombers and Gordons Kokofas, where chaos swept across the Colts Oval with projectiles thrown by fans targeting each other after some Bombers fans attacked few Kokofas players on the field of play.
A Police Mobile Squad unit had to step in to disburse the violent crowd and restore order while the match was cancelled.
The Port Moresby AFL competition is a semi- professional competition that is responsible for putting some of the great athletes in the sport on the international stage and its image and reputation must be protected, hence incidents that tarnish the name are not acceptable by the AFL Association.
President Lai said the suspension notice was approved by the Papua New Guinea (PNG) AFL Commission and the Association handed it to the club executives last week Tuesday, 26th of March 2024.
The suspension is for all players and team officials, meaning that all the club’s divisions from Senior Men’s to Reserve and the Women’s are all removed from the 2024 Port Moresby AFL season’s competition for an indefinite period.
Meanwhile, the other club involved in the incident, Gereka Bombers, got off lightly with no similar penalty like that of the Kokofas, despite instigating the fight.
But, a hefty fine will be imposed on the club. An amount of the fine will be decided and a notice letter containing that will be handed over to the club soon.