Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
FOR football-loving fans in Mutare, entry into Sakubva Stadium has become a nightmare.
A clique of supporters who refuse to pay for tickets and clog the queues, the absence of curtain-raisers or pre-match entertainment to encourage early arrivals, the opening of only four out of 10 gates with turnstiles, and the lack of barricades to keep fans in single file — all combine to create chaos at the gates.
Last Sunday, when Manica Diamonds hosted Highlanders, familiar scenes unfolded.
Long, winding queues stretched outside the stadium even after the match had already kicked off, leaving many frustrated supporters stranded.
The situation is worsened by fans who deliberately avoid paying for Premier Soccer League matches. Week after week, they crowd the entry points, desperately seeking free passage, slowing down the process for genuine ticket holders.
While late arrivals by fans have also been blamed for the congestion, the absence of curtain-raisers or any form of entertainment before kick-off means there is little incentive for supporters to come early. The result is a bottleneck at the gates, turning what should be a festive occasion into a logistical headache.
Even though Sakubva Stadium gates were opened as early as 12pm for a 3pm kick-off, few serious football fans were willing to sit for three hours with nothing to do but stare at the pitch.
The absence of curtain-raisers or pre-match entertainment meant most supporters only arrived close to kick-off — creating a crush at the gates.
Last Sunday, only four of the stadium’s 10 turnstile gates were opened, resulting in uncontrollable congestion as fans poured in.
Some of the most patient supporters only managed to gain entry at half-time, while others walked away in anger and frustration.
The lack of barricades to control queues outside the stadium has long been a Herculean challenge.
Without proper fencing to keep fans in single file, opportunists who refuse to pay for tickets exploit the chaos, clogging entry points in hopes of squeezing in for free.
In a gesture of support for her home province team, Defence Minister, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri paid for the first 1 000 fans to attend the match.
However, ticket distribution was poorly managed, with even five-year-olds being handed US$5 Castle Premier Soccer League entry tickets — a move that further complicated the situation.
Instead of tearing the ticket as the beneficiary of free entry entered the stadium, some recipients of the free tickets who received them some distance away from the turnstiles did not appear to have had any interest in getting into the stadium, and ended up selling them for as little as US$2.
This newspaper has it on good authority that a club security official (name withheld) was seen moving around with about 40 tickets in his hand well after kick-off.
Calvin Mapangisana, a staunch Manica Diamonds fan, said: “The challenge that we have with some football-loving people in Mutare is that they do not want to pay to enter the stadium. Last Sunday, gates were opened well before 1pm and even accommodated those whose tickets had been paid for by Minister Muchinguri, but for some reason, some people came and stood outside only to wait for kick-off time for them to move towards the gates.”
Fellow Manica Diamonds FC supporter, Witness Usai, said: “If Manica Diamonds is serious about cashing in on gate takings and security, they should consider doing something about their security. The Chahwanda Stadium incident should be an eye-opener, bearing in mind that we are hosting Dynamos at the next home match.”
Manica Diamonds FC spokesperson, Tapiwa Mbidzo, admitted that the club has to make some adjustments to its approach to the entry gates management system.
“Yes, we had some challenges last Sunday, perhaps because our security had not anticipated the numbers that we got. However, going forward, we are now working on lasting solutions to the challenge. We can assure our fans that they will never experience the frustration that they went through last Sunday,” said Mbidzo.
