Brawl Between Rivaling Gangs During Peace Cup

It was all-out mayhem inside the M.C.C. Grounds on Sunday morning, following a football match between Kelly Street Football Club and Fort George Football Club. The two teams are competing in the William Dawson Peace Cup, a football tournament organized by the Belize Police Department. The objective of the competition is to curb crime and violence through sports by bringing rival gangs together to compete against each other. Over the past few years, these tournaments have been concluded with little to no incidents. But, that changed on Sunday morning. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Before the start of the game between Kelly Street FC and Fort George FC, this white SUV is seen leaving the venue, following what appeared to be a brief misunderstanding between some individuals in attendance. The bleacher was filled with fans from both teams. Though these fans came from rival communities, as do the players, this display of unity mirrors the objective set out by organizers of the William Dawson Peace Cup.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police.

“At the end of the day like you said, the police are engaged in doing intervention through sports. What we have been doing through the William Dawson Sprite Tournament as well as the William Dawson Peace Cup which is football activity, one was the basketball and the football, is to bring the different groups from rivalling communities together to ensure that we can do intervention with them through sports.”

 

Fifty-five minutes into the game, Fort George FC scored a goal that Kelly Street FC did not agree with. They argued that the ball went out of bounds. One fan is seen on the field confronting the referee. He issued a red card to a Kelly Street football player and police officers made their way on the field to escort that player off. After much back and forth and a lengthy break, the game resumed. Fort George FC won three goals to two. That tension moved off the field. An argument ensued between a group of fans. Two police officers took a piece of wood from one fan who was wielding it as a weapon. That fan then made his way down the bleacher along with a woman. Things escalated quickly as both players and fans from the rival communities engaged in an all-out brawl. In response, an officer pulled out his firearm and fired two warning shots in the air.  But, that did not work to stop the brawl.

 

Chester Williams

“Yes of course these are people who have issues with each other, and it is anticipated that things may go wrong, or not according to how we may expect and the police will be there to ensure that they keep the peace, to neutralize whatever may occur. And I think the police did a good job to make sure they were able to contain the issue or to prevent it from escalating further. So, I must commend the police officers for their job well done.”

 

Here one player and a female fan faced off, and again things got physical. There were sufficient police officers present to break up the group. Another angle of the mayhem, captured on amateur video shows the moment the warning shots were fired, and how one police officer, armed with a piece of wood, was in the thick of the brawl. Douglas Hyde, the organizer of the tournament, is seen with his hand to his waist as he too instructed a group of guys on the nearby street to back away. In the parking lot, the rival groups continued to exchange words. Spurred on by police, a group of men got into a white SUV and left the ground. ComPol Williams was asked if this incident is a blackeye for the department.

 

Chester Williams

“Why would it be a blackeye. The police are trying to bring rivalling groups together to make them understand that there is more to life than fighting with each other. If something goes wrong, it doesn’t mean that it is a black eye. We must stop look at things from a negative standpoint and see the good in what is being done.”

 

The individuals involved spent the night behind bars. News Five has done extensive coverage of both the William Dawson Basketball Tournament and the William Dawson Peace Cup. Notably, this is the first time that an incident of this nature has occurred.

 

Chester Williams

“From what I was made to understand it started because of two women. Again we will look at it and see how we can deal with the issue.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.