Thamsanqa Gabuza (top) from South Africa is tackled by Aurelien Cheudjou from Cameroon during the African Cup of Nations 2017 qualifier match at the Moses Mabhida stadium on March 29, 2016 in Durban. / AFP PHOTO / ANESH DEBIKY
JOHANNESBURG — A national team football player in South Africa staged a walk-off midway through a club game after being ridiculed by his own fans, who were booing him and calling for him to be substituted in the first half.
Striker Thamsanqa Gabuza set up a goal for Orlando Pirates near the end of the first half — an own-goal by opponent Black Leopards — when, in part celebration, part defiance, he took off his shirt, threw it at a section of his fans and walked off the field and down the tunnel.
Before he left the field in Tuesday’s game in South Africa’s top division, Gabuza sarcastically applauded his team’s supporters and then made a signal referring to a substitution.
As he headed to the tunnel, Gabuza was angrily confronted by his coach, Milutin Sredojevic, who shoved the player in the chest and shouted at him. Gabuza’s teammates also tried to pull him back onto the field.
The situation became even more bizarre when Gabuza returned to the side of the field early in the second half limping and with his right leg heavily bandaged, apparently injured.
As he sat in the dugout, the referee came over and showed him a yellow card for removing his shirt in the first half, and a second yellow for leaving the field without permission, and sent him off.
Gabuza got up and, with the help of a team official, headed for the tunnel again.
The 31-year-old Gabuza was being booed for some misses in front of goal early in the game. He has scored only eight goals in five years with Orlando Pirates, one of South Africa’s biggest clubs, and has been targeted for abuse by Pirates fans before. Yet, he has a good strike rate for South Africa’s national team, with six goals in 16 appearances.
Orlando Pirates won the game against Black Leopards 2-1.