Footy match is abandoned after spectator throws wild coward punch at a teenage player, leading to internet manhunt to track him down

A furious father has taken to the internet to track down a spectator who viciously punched his 15-year-old son on the pitch during a rugby league match last weekend.

The incident occurred on Saturday during an Auckland Rugby League under-16s match between the Otara Scorpions and Manurewa Marlins.

The footage shows the man calmly walking onto the pitch and throwing the punch, before the teenage Scorpions player sees him just in time and moves aside, causing minimal behavior.

The officials canceled the rest of the game.

The father of the attacked player is now appealing for the identity of the spectator on social media platform X.

“I need help identifying this piece of shit in the blue/yellow/white top who thought it was okay to run across the field and shot my 15 year old son blind,” the post read.

‘Manurewa Marlins doesn’t want to reveal his name, so I’ll let social media do its work!’

Marlins president Karla Matua said social media “does not always show the full context of the situation and we are aware of it and have evidence to support this.”

Matua told the New Zealand website Newshub the club was aware of the images and ‘does not tolerate violence’.

“Our priority has been to ensure our team and team management are mentally, physically and spiritually safe and we have wrapped support services around them,” he said.

‘We have a positive dialogue with Otara RL and both clubs want the same thing: that our children are safe and that those responsible are dealt with appropriately.

‘We are following the ARL (Auckland Rugby League) processes and look forward to positive outcomes for our children and whānau [families].’

Both clubs are seeking information to pass on to police following the incident which saw the rest of the match halted

Otara Rugby League Club general manager Willie Maea said they were working with the Marlins to identify the spectator and refer the matter to police.

“Although the actions on the field were controlled by the referee, they do not allow adults to enter the field,” he said.

“For us, we want to identify these men, charge them with assault and enter them from this property.”

The ARL also released a statement confirming that police would be involved in the incident.

“ARL has a zero-tolerance policy for this type of violence and behavior,” the report said.

‘We have legal procedures in place and where necessary we involve the police.

‘This matter is now being managed by police and we cannot comment further on it.’

A police spokesperson told Newshub that those involved were encouraged to report the incident ‘so we can establish what happened’.