In today's edition of Supporters Club Did You Know, we take you back 18 years to reminisce on a strange year for African football, when lightning did, indeed, strike twice!
Weather conditions always have a huge effect on games and sometimes a match can be called off if the pitch becomes waterlogged or the snow is too thick. Fortunately, here in Mzansi, we don't have to deal with the snow. But back in 1998, in a PSL match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Jomo Cosmos, Swallows players Peter Matshitse, Jaconia Cibi and Benjamin Njemo were struck by lightning in a freak accident. Players and supporters ran for their lives after the Swallows trio collapsed on the pitch, and they had to be rushed to hospital to have their injuries attended to. Understandably, the match was abandoned.
You can find a video of the incident below:
Then, in the same year, a match between Bena Tshadi and Basanga in Congo ended in tragedy when lightning struck again and killed 11 players. Another 30 people sustained serious injuries and, again, the game was abandoned.
It's a crazy old game, football, but it really doesn't seem so important when it becomes a matter of life or death…
Can you remember any other freak weather incidents in the PSL? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
