Kanalelo, McCarthy in tunnel brawl

MARITZBURG United goalkeeper coach Ronnie Kanalelo could be in hot water for his role in a scuffle which broke out at the end of a South African Premier League match between his club and Cape Town City last Saturday.

City won the ill-tempered match 3-2, and both clubs could face sanctions from the PSL for the incident.

SABCSport aired footage of a seething Kanalelo and City coach Benni McCarthy being separated by players and officials from both sides in the tunnel.

The brawl was reportedly sparked when Rushine de Reuck went to fetch the ball next to the Cape Town City bench, only for one of the officials to withhold it in an attempt to the delay the game.

At the time, the Citizens were leading 3-2 deep into stoppage time, and De Reuck wanted to resume play as soon as possible as his side was looking for an equaliser to salvage a point.

De Reuck then shoved the official, but the City bench reacted angrily in retaliation and protested that the Maritzburg United player be given his second yellow, which the referee did, resulting in a red card.

As the player left the pitch, the fourth official alerted the match referee that the Cape Town City official was also guilty, and that also resulted in a dismissal.

The two individuals took their fight to the tunnel, and the two benches rushed to intervene, with ex-international rivals McCarthy and Kanalelo among those who went in to protect their own.

However, it is unclear at this stage who started the fight between De Reuck and the City official in the tunnel, but the video posted on social media clearly shows that things really got heated.

Social media pundits cheekily suggested the ex-Bafana Bafana striker teased the former Brave Warriors goalkeeper about an encounter during their playing days when McCarthy famously put four first-half goals past Kanalelo in a 1998 Africa Cup of Nations group match in Burkina Faso.

Namibia, for whom that tournament marked their Afcon debut, lost the match 4-1.