Larsen gets slap on the wrist

Johannesburg - Bloemfontein Celtic coach Clinton Larsen became the first to face the wrath of the Premier Soccer League’s disciplinary committee this new season but got off with a suspended sentence on Tuesday night.

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According to the supersport.com website, Larsen was fined R50 000 and his club R25 000 but both were suspended for 12 months, Celtic said in the wake of the hearing in Johannesburg.

Larsen had been charged with “bringing the League and SAFA into disrepute in terms of Rule 53.2.11 of the NSL Rules”.

It stemmed from a blast of verbal abuse he hurled in the direction of referee Daniel Volgraaf at halftime of his side’s opening Absa Premiership clash with Mamelodi Sundowns at the start of the month.

Larsen was caught on a television camera at halftime berating Volgraaf after Celtic had been reduced to 10 men by a contentious red card.

On Tuesday night, the league also charged Free State Stars coach Steve Komphela with the same offence for comments he made in a post-match television interview after Stars lost their first Absa Premiership match of the season to SuperSport United.

But the outcome of his hearing was not announced to the media afterwards.

By Wednesday morning, the Premier Soccer League had not yet sent out a statement detailing the findings of disciplinary committee.