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THE biggest story should have been the celebrations by Highlanders after winning the country’s lucrative Mbada Diamonds Cup, breaking a long barren spell of winning a major trophy since 2006.The biggest story should have been How Mine celebrating their entry into the big stage of the jungles of African football, benefiting from the fact that winners of the major knockout tournament, Highlanders, are banned from continental football, at least for another year.
And How Mine will write a bit of history in their second year in the top flight by representing the country in the Confederation Cup.
The biggest story should have been Dynamos celebrating a rare achievement of winning the league title three times on the run, and are just one more gold medal on the trot shy of Highlanders who won it four times between 1998 and 2002.
As the Premiership season curtain comes down, the biggest story should have been Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa celebrating opening a new chapter in domestic football, becoming the first coach to win the title three times in a row, bettering the double achieved by the likes of Sunday Chidzambwa, Rahman Gumbo and Charles Mhlauri.
But we find ourselves debating on whether the PSL is like a lion which when hungry, accuses its cub of smelling like a goat so as to devour it. Reports that the Premier Soccer League will smile all the way to the bank with its coffers swelling by $274,250 from fines imposed on clubs has attracted a lot of attention, with champions Dynamos screaming that the world is collapsing around them.
Dynamos were the worst affected club, racking in fines of $65,500 which were mostly from pitch invasions and missile throwing by their followers.
Missile throwing or pitch invasion attracts a fine of $8, 000 per incident. With Dynamos set to pocket $70,000 for winning the Castle Lager championship and the PSL deducting $65,500 from their rich pickings, the club could be left with just $4,500 in their account.
Dynamos’ fans threw missiles onto the Rufaro Stadium pitch on April 21 when they played against Highlanders in a match which ended 1-1.
They were at it again at Luveve Stadium on July 6 where they lost 1-0 to How Mine. DeMbare supporters continued their missile throwing at the Colliery Stadium where they suffered their biggest defeat of the season, a 2-4 reversal to Hwange on October 2. DeMbare fans only invaded the pitch twice against Caps United and in their last game of the season against Black Mambas a fortnight ago.
With the team struggling to raise funds for the Caf African Champions League, you really feel pity for them. Their old time rivals, Highlanders also suffered the same fate. The cash-strapped Bulawayo giants follow behind Dynamos on the fines table contributing $26,550 to the PSL coffers.
Highlanders fans’ disorderly behaviour cost the club $24,550 with the difference accumulated from coach Kelvin Kaindu’s dismissal when they beat Triangle 2-1 at Gibbo Stadium on April 6.
Bosso’s contribution to the delay in kick off of their match against Hwange on June 2 attracted a sanction and they were also fined $500 after their players got five yellow cards in their September 4 encounter with Monomotapa. Missiles were also thrown in their goalless draw with Monomotapa and in their 1-0 win over Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium on October 27.
One of the country’s most followed clubs Caps United were not spared their supporters’ unruly behaviour. They failed to control their tempers and threw missiles in two of their league games involving Dynamos and Highlanders. Caps United also failed to account for gate-takings for matches against Motor Action, Buffaloes and Shabanie Mine and were slapped with a $2,000 fine for each game.
The Green Machine, who are also reeling under financial challenges like most clubs, will pay $22,000 in fines for their offences.
Almost all clubs in the league will be made to pay a fine with relegated Black Mambas having $14,000 in fines, which is much more than their prize money, and the same fate also befell Hwange who had fines of $9, 500.
Ordinarily, the fines should be deducted from the club’s prize money, a situation which will certainly leave some clubs owing as their prize money would not be enough to settle their bill of fines. Nonetheless, the clubs still have a way to turn things around simply because they are the ones who make the rules that govern them.
They meet today in Harare to review the season and they can decide to waiver paying the fines, judging by their magnitude as paying them would be disaster to their players who will certainly spend the holidays broke. Even medal winners, Dynamos and Highlanders will have nothing to show for their sweat all year round, which will be regrettable.
Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa has come out blazing, saying the fines are a plot by the league to push his team out of the league.
“What does it mean when we get charged $8, 000 five times? We have teams being relegated because times are hard. And now the people at the top also want us out.
There is no hearing for these charges. All we get is just papers saying we owe money,” said Mubaiwa.
Caps United, who interestingly are owned by board president Twine Phiri, had their chief executive Joe Makuvire also taking a swipe at the league.
“We don’t have the money to pay. Instead of the PSL focusing on taking money from clubs they should be focusing on educating fans. Because the root cause of most of the charges is fans. PSL’s priority should be on the survival of clubs and not making money out of clubs because in the end the PSL is there to serve the clubs”.
What baffles the mind is why clubs sat down and agreed to peg a fine of $8,000 for missile throwing and pitch invasion by fans. One is tempted to suspect that the general feeling among clubs then was only one or two clubs will be affected, but it’s now catching up with everyone.
What also baffles the mind is why the PSL board of governors consented to the fines which are obviously too steep, considering the environment in which the clubs are operating under.
The idea of heavy fines is to stop hooliganism in football, but at the end of the day those who suffer are the players, who would not have been involved in pitch invasion and missile throwing and thus, it is prudent for clubs to be sober when coming up with guidelines for fines. The board should not be trigger happy, otherwise they will further financially cripple the clubs.
Nonetheless, what should be noted is that while some clubs are complaining that the fines are high, they were part of the meetings where resolutions were passed to peg such high fines.
The fines are certainly not CEO Kennedy Ndebele’s doing and they are not board president Phiri or is vice president Peter Dube’s doing. If clubs went into such meetings drunk in what ever form in the past, they should go there sober this time around. It is certainly not a case of a lion accusing its cub of smelling like a goat.
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Online Reporter