World Cup Soccer

Riot police clash with stewards in protest at Durban World Cup stadium

South African riot police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades last night to break up a protest by hundreds of World Cup stewards angered at an apparent pay cut. The stewards had been on security duty at Durban’s futuristic new Moses Mabhida stadium when 60,000 fans watched Germany beat Australia 4-0 in the most high-scoring match of the tournament so far. But they decided to protest after being handed their pay envelopes after the match to discover that they had been paid far less than expected.

Several hours after the match riot police charged a large group of stewards who gathered in a parking lot under the stadium, firing stun grenades - which create a loud bang but no physical damage - to drive them out of the stadium precinct. About 300 of the demonstrators, wearing green and orange jackets and carrying rocks and bricks, carried on their protests in nearby streets, where they were surrounded by police and subdued with teargas.

The police then separated the protesters into male and female groups and made them sit on the ground before allowing them to disperse peacefully. Many of the stewards carried the small brown envelopes in which they had been given their pay and said that they had received just 190 rand (£16.95) after being promised 250 rand (£22.30). Some said that the official daily rate promised by Fifa, the governing body of world football, is 1,500 rand (£133). “We left our homes at seven in the morning and now it is nearly 1 o’clock,” said Vincent Mkize, one of the protesters. “In the dry run, they didn’t want to tell us how much we would get.”

“They were supposed to give us 1,500, that’s what Fifa told us, and they gave us 190. We are working from 12 o’clock until now,” said another protester, who ran away from police before he could give his name. Fifa declined to comment on the violence but Rich Mkhondo, head of communications for the local World Cup organising committee, said the protest did not have any impact on security at the match or any spectators.