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Momentarily panicked, police officers stand back to back and pull out pepper spray as Tongan football fans party hard outside a Bunnings in Sydney after their team’s World Cup win
- Tongan football fans celebrate the sweeping rugby league World Cup victory
- Images appeared on TikTok where supporters left the NSW police in panic
- Bunnings car park at Villawood was a sea of red after victory over Cook Islands
- In a TikTok clip, a cop pulled out pepper spray when she felt intimidated
Wild images have emerged of police panicking outside a Bunnings in western Sydney as Tongan football fans celebrated their team’s huge victory at the Rugby League World Cup on Monday.
As the situation threatened to escalate in the eyes of the law, an officer pulled out pepper spray in an attempt to control the energetic crowd. were in effect hours after Tonga’s booming 92-10 win over the Cook Islands.
A clip uploaded to TikTok from Bunnings’ on-site parking lot has been viewed more than 250,000 times online.
The images – from Villawood in the west of Sydney – show a sea of red as enthusiastic fans toast to the emphatic result on Monday evening.
The Tongan fans were in good spirits, singing and singing as their Mate Ma’a heroes secured a spot in the UK quarter-finals.
NSW police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that there were no arrests and the crowd obeyed and ‘peacefully dispersed’ from the scene.
Footage has surfaced of NSW police using pepper spray outside a Bunnings in western Sydney on Monday night after Tonga’s victory over the Cook Islands in the UK’s Rugby League World Cup hours earlier
“On Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, at approximately 8:50 PM, Fairfield City Police Area Command officers were called to a hardware store on Tangerine and Woodville Roads, Villawood, following reports of a large group of people outside the building,” the statement said.
“The local police – with the help of Public Order and the Riot Squad, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command and Liverpool City Police Area Command – were on hand and began to disperse the crowd.
“After initially resisting police requests, the crowd later complied and dispersed peacefully around 10 p.m.
“Police have not received any reports of injuries.”
While many social media users found the TikTok images funny, some felt that the police on the ground should not have felt intimidated.
“I love this, but I feel sorry for these agents, they are doing their job,” one person wrote.
Another suggested that the fans “seek public places such as parks and beaches for future encounters.”
Tongan football fans were in good spirits after beating the Cook Islands 92-10 in the Rugby League World Cup on Monday (pictured, a supporter taking his life hours after the final whistle)
The video initially shows a handful of police officers watching the crowd as they sang in unison.
When a DJ lit up the footy fans – who were clearly in the mood to celebrate – a female cop could watch the supporters walk away.
When the police collectively withdrew, she pulled out her pepper spray.
Tonga’s impressive win was their biggest ever on the international stage, surpassing their previous biggest win of 64 points.
Parramatta star Will Penisini finished with four tries to his name in the defeat, with Broncos utility Tesi Niu scoring a hat-trick.
Kristian Woolf’s side remains unbeaten, with even more group wins over Papua New Guinea and Wales.
Fierce rivals Samoa await Monday morning (1.30am AEST), with the winner to advance to the semi-finals.