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WHEN the legendary Pele said football was the most beautiful game in the world, this is probably what he really meant.
The heart-warming story of a homeless Harare man, who has been living on the streets for 23 years now, getting the biggest romantic present of his life when he was given a passionate kiss by a strange “and rich” woman at Rufaro on Sunday, is something which only football can deliver.
Stafflage Bire, 36, is a CAPS United fan, who paints himself in green-and-white, every time his team are playing at home at Rufaro.
On Sunday, he hit the jackpot when a Chegutu Pirates fan gave him a passionate kiss as they were leaving Rufaro after the Green Machine won a tight game 2-1.
The beautiful moment was captured by cameras and was published in this newspaper on Tuesday.
That has turned Bire into some sort of a street celebrity.
Amazingly, Bire said he doesn’t know the woman who kissed him on that Sunday and he doesn’t even have her phone number.
He said the Chegutu Pirates fan was charmed by his artistic face and she asked for a picture because she said she wanted to show her friends back home.
But, it went further than that and Bire found himself being given a passionate kiss by the Pirates fan.
Bire has been a passionate CAPS United fan since 2006 and says he attends all the matches which the club plays at home but he can’t go and watch them in away matches because he doesn’t have the money to cover such costs.
The beautiful picture of the duo sharing the passionate kiss was in sharp contrast to the ugly scenes during the match, which was stopped for 27 minutes, after protests from the Chegutu Pirates fans.
The Zaire fans were protesting against CAPS United’s first goal, which they felt should have been a throw in to their side, which was taken by the hosts who then went on to score the opening goal.
The police had to be called in to restore order to ensure that the game could resume and be completed with CAPS United winning the game 2-1.
But, all that was forgotten at the end of the match when the Chegutu Pirates and CAPS United fans started mingling and, in Bire’s case, even getting a passionate kiss.
That’s the beauty of football.
It is a game like no other because it has the power to unite people.
It’s only sad that the game is not being administered as well as it should be, on the national level, with the ZIFA leadership always coming up with monumental boobs.
This has frustrated a huge constituency, which ordinarily would have been part of the game, with thousands of fans turning their backs on the game.
We have to find a way to bring all these fans back to the stadiums because it is the only way that we can guarantee our game’s survival.
Online Reporter