A power outage plunged a football match into darkness on Tuesday night, forcing the abandonment of the game between Magesi FC and Chippa United at the newly refurbished Seshego Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa.
The lights went out twice during the game, first in the opening minutes and again after a 20-minute resumption, leaving players and officials scrambling in the darkness.
"We regret the unforeseen technical issue with the floodlights at Seshego Stadium last night," said Thipa Selala, spokesperson for the Polokwane Local Municipality, in a statement on Facebook.
"We understand the inconvenience caused and assure the public that thorough investigations are underway to identify the root cause and implement measures to prevent a recurrence. All necessary tests were conducted prior to the match."
The incident occurred during the first professional football match hosted at the stadium in 23 years, a momentous occasion for the local community.
"For the first time in 23 years, Seshego Stadium is hosting professional football, and Polokwane Municipality, along with its passionate residents, is here for every heart-stopping moment," the municipality stated in a social media post earlier in the day.
The municipality has apologised to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for the disruption and said it is committed to ensuring that such incidents do not occur again. The match will resume on Wednesday at midday with the score tied at 1-1.
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