44,500 fans, one man charged

Henry Saafi, who has been charged with common assault, has been remanded on bail to seek legal advice. Photo / Natalie Slade

A week after the booze-fuelled mayhem at Eden Park - where spectators were thrown out for unruly behaviour and plastic bottles were thrown onto the field - the only man to face the courts claims he didn't even throw a punch.

Henry Saafi was charged with common assault after an altercation at Eden Park at last weekend's Kiwis v Kangaroos league test.

Five others were arrested that night but police said this week that they were let off with a warning.

Saafi appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday, his 32nd birthday. He was remanded on bail until December 2 to seek legal advice.

Friends of Saafi are understood to be among those who were let off with a warning - and so was the man he is alleged to have assaulted.

The dispute between the two groups was one of many bad-tempered incidents that cast a shadow over the first big event staged at the revamped Eden Park.

After yesterday's court appearance, Saafi told the Weekend Herald he didn't punch anyone. "I just pushed him and he fell down some stairs ... He was getting in my face."

The 32-year-old electrician said fighting was going on around him but he was not involved. "And I end up with an assault charge."

After last weekend's debacle, some of the 44,500 fans vowed never to return to the ground to watch another game. Eden Park will host the Rugby World Cup final and semifinals in less than a year.

Saafi said he was surprised to be charged and felt the whole episode had been blown out of proportion. He planned to defend the charge when he returned to court.

One of his bail conditions is a ban on entering Eden Park.

As well as the assault charge, Saafi was remanded on an unrelated drink-driving charge. He will be sentenced for that in February.

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully has called for a report into the match and Prime Minister John Key said the violence was "disappointing".

Eden Park chief executive David Kennedy said the stadium management was disappointed with some of the crowd behaviour and would work to make sure it did not happen again.