A South Sudanese community football day in Western Sydney turned nasty yesterday, as chisels, spanner, knives and a football corner post were allegedly used in a brawl involving about 30 people.
A police spokesman says the fight broke out about 4.30pm on Sunday at Palmyra Ave, Wilmot, near Mount Druitt.
Three people were taken to Westmead Hospital and two to Nepean; one remained under police guard last night as police established a two-kilometre long crime scene.
Weapons including a football corner post, a chisel, a spanner and knife were seized by police.
Abraham Ajok, chairman of the South Sudan Football Association of NSW, spoke to SBS from the police station where he was assisting police with their inquiries.
He said that the brawl was nothing to do with the football.
“None of them were the players, the game was on while they were fighting,” he said.
“The fight started across the road, and then they stared fighting and moved to the field, we stopped them and they we called the police,”
“Some of them were spectators, but I don't know whether they were there to be spectators or if they came for the reason of meeting there for the fight – I don't know.”
Chief Inspector Bill Pearce, from Mount Druitt local area command, said police were not certain what caused the brawl.
"There's some suggestion that there might have been something the previous evening at a party.
"It might have been over a girl, but there's no factual information as to the catalyst."
A witness said it appeared that the participants had nothing to do with the football match.
Nathan* and his wife were driving past when they were caught in the brawl which spilled out onto the street next to Peter Van Hasselt Park.
“There were 30 or 40 African looking people in the middle of the road, fighting, chasing each other with poles, it looked mainly push and shove,” he told SBS.
He said none of the participants in the brawl appeared to be wearing football uniforms.
“There was a group running down the opposite side of the road to us and they seemed to be a group of 10 or 12 people chasing one or two, and one of them had a pole, which turned out to be the corner flag of the football field.”
*last name withheld on request.
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