adminFAN violence, which has rocked some Castle Lager Premier League matches in Harare in recent weeks, is a giant step backwards.
It comes at a time when football fans are beginning to show up in numbers at various stadiums to watch the domestic top-flight league matches.
Economic challenges, deteriorating standards of play and effects of the Covid-19 induced lockdown, have been cited as some of the reasons fans were staying at home.
At one point, football fans even preferred to watch social leagues, where the entertainment value eclipsed domestic Premiership football.
Some even decided to watch lower leagues like Division One football where the entry fee is reasonably lower while the entertainment value is higher.
However, in recent weeks, we have been seeing a significant rise in the number of fans watching the top-flight league matches.
Traditional football giants Highlanders, Dynamos and CAPS are the biggest crowd pullers.
The Harare Derby this season attracted its biggest crowd in years at the National Sports Stadium.
However, the fan violence fuelled by biased officiating, and alleged use of juju, is likely to scare some fans from attending matches.
On Monday, we ran a story on crowd trouble during a match between CAPS United and Simba Bhora, which was marred by fan violence.
The violence broke out when Simba Bhora forward Tinashe Balakasi scored in the 90th minute.
He scored when the referee of the day – Jimmy Makanda – waved play on while a CAPS United player was down injured.
This raised the ire of fans who ended up attacking the referee with missiles.
CAPS United coach Chitembwe calmed down his players to avoid further chaos in a match in which he showed maturity.
Prior to the Sunday fracas, some CAPS United fans targeted Chitembwe where the team lost a match.
Dynamos manager, Richard Chihoro, made headlines after he sprinkled what appeared to be ‘juju; on goalposts in Bulawayo during a match against Hwange. He was summoned before the PSL disciplinary committee where justice was delivered.
Such practices are known to rile fans, which can trigger violence if the situation is not contained.
Fan violence, in whatever form, has no place in the world’s most beautiful game. It’s sad when top officials and well-known supporters are seen fuelling this practice.
With most fans complaining of poor or biased officiating, this issue must be looked into seriously to avoid the kind of disturbances we saw at the giant stadium on Sunday.
Referees suspected of biased or poor officiating must be summoned for hearings and, where necessary, punishment should be meted out on those who fail to meet the standards.
Fan violence can be very costly as some partners will end up withdrawing their sponsorship.
Players in the corporate world are very particular about protecting their brands, which can be soiled easily by hoodlums, who cannot handle their emotions.
We call upon football regulatory chiefs to play their part and address fan violence.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter