Tkatchenko refuses to apologise to Eagles’ fans

Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko will not apology on the comments he made labelling Mt Hagen Eagles officials as ‘primitive and uneducated’.

“The primitive and the uneducated action of the Hagen Eagles officials and supporters must be condemned at the highest level,” a frustrated Minister posted on his Facebook wall last week.

His comments following an assault on the match referee and Rabaul Gurias players after their semi-final win over the Western Highlands franchise team in Port Moresby.

But the comments by Tkatchenko had got a divided support on social media, with some slamming the words used by the minister as derogative to Western Highlanders.

“People has misinterpreted what I said, I made it very clear the actions of the official and supporters where primitive and uneducated, and I stand by it because they were,” Tkatchenko said on TV Wan Nau program.

“I am not talking about the people of Western Highlands or anybody in Papua New Guinea, I am talking about the action of this individual and supporters who made these unspeakable act on the referee and players.”

Tkatchenko added that the code have moved forward in the last four years and hosting of Kumuls 2017 World Cup matches are a testimony to that.

The official who started the assault on the referee had been arrested and charged by police. 

Author: 
Charles Yapumi