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Tonderai Zvimba, Showbiz Reporter
WHEN Highlanders Football Club sneezes, apparently the whole city of Bulawayo catches a cold, so goes a saying being used by some of the most hardcore Bosso supporters whose lives literally revolve around their favourite football team.
It has been all gloom and doom for Highlanders Football Club this season as they have been losing many matches. For some of the club’s supporters, Highlanders’ not winning, somewhat becomes a burden as their lives are terribly affected.
According to a study which was published in the Journal of Psychological Science in 2015, emotionally attached fans of sports teams across the globe are often involved in cases of reckless driving, heart attacks and even domestic violence if their favourite teams perform badly.
Zanele Mthunzi, a disgruntled wife of a loyal Highlanders supporter from Mzilikazi said the continuous loss by Highlanders has led to numerous horrendous weekends in their household.
“These continuous losses by Highlanders have led to miserable weekends in our home as my husband always comes home in a bad mood. He doesn’t want to talk to anyone and sometimes, he becomes violent.
“Sometimes, he doesn’t even eat,” Zanele said.
Another wife of a Bosso supporter, Gertrude Ndlovu from Mpopoma weighed in: “I think these guys (Bosso players) don’t understand that when they lose and have such poor results, akuhlaleki endlini.
“My husband acts as if he’s been cheated on. He’ll be moody, grumpy and the like. For these past games, he’s been coming home very drunk and when I ask, he says he wants to forget the poor performances he will have watched at Barbourfields.”
Bosso who have only scored two goals are in the relegation zone, lying 17th, second from the bottom with no win in eight games.
The dark cloud upon Highlanders has not only affected the wives of the supporters of the team, but it has also struck a lightning bolt on one popular shebeen queen whose business has been affected.
“This bad performance by Bosso has had a negative impact on my business because most of my customers are Highlanders supporters. Usually, when Highlanders win a match, my sales skyrocket.
“However, it’s no longer the case as most of the customers are so emotionally attached to the team that when it loses, most of them head home from the stadium. If they find their way to my shebeen, they don’t take much alcohol or don’t drink at all as their spirits will be low,” said the shebeen queen who preferred anonymity.
Being an avid Bosso supporter herself, she said the team needs to understand that losing is not their own loss as it affects many people including fans and businesses.
A loyal Highlanders fan, Melusi Tshabangu, who is also known as Mantengwane by fellow Highlanders fanatics said the team has been giving him a lot of stress.
“IBosso inginika istress, ingitshayisa ngekhanda ngalokho abakwenzayo (Highlanders is stressing me, it’s literally giving me a headache with their poor performance). This team is my pride and joy, it’s my everything and I cannot stand this poor performance.
“When the team loses I can barely sleep,” said the disappointed fan.
Online Reporter