Domino drama: Safety and funds issues in Hanover Park league
|Published
CALLED OUT: Hanover Park Dominoes League
A dominoes tournament meant to bring the community together has ended in arguments between clubs and allegations of misuse of funds by organisers.
Mense, who attended the Hanover Park Community Domino League competition, which takes place every weekend at the Lansport Sports Hall, have raised questions about how it is being run.
The Daily Voice previously ran a story about the event, which players have now voiced their concerns about on Facebook.
Speaking to the Daily Voice on Sunday, Ebrahim Galiel, captain of the Vikings Club based in Beacon Valley, said during matches, youngsters in Hanover Park are often rude to their opponents, teams are not properly awarded and there are safety concerns.
“I ended up getting thrown with a brick to my chest and was even threatened with a gun by the youngsters in the area,” he says.
He says younger players would swear and even threaten their opponents, and complaints about this were ignored.
There were also questions about the management of funds.
“At the last event, we were undefeated but the top prize was awarded to another team which made us very upset because it was all fishy,” says Ebrahim.
“We pay a R100 match fee every week plus a once-off R300 and that money is supposed to be used for all the teams but we do not see it.”
Despite the issues, Ebrahim said his club has not klopped out of the league.
“Because we pay the fees, we feel that we have the right to voice our concerns but we are met with more questions than answers.”
Asif Ismail, secretary of the Hanover Park Community Domino League, denied all wrongdoing and said: “There is definitely nothing fishy going on with the funds or anything like that. Those who won did so according to the rules and were deserved winners of the awards.
“What you have to remember is that we are a young league that is still busy finding our feet, so some things will be done in a way that will not suit everybody.
“But we are looking into making things better because at the end of the day, this is for the community.”
He also confirmed the incident where Ebrahim was struck with a brick and said they are discussing a way forward, but ultimately they would keep the league in Hanover Park.