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Sports Reporter
THERE was a time, towards the end of last year, when Chegutu Pirates were the toast of Zimbabwean football as they pursued an unlikely dream to play in the domestic Premiership.
Back then, especially in the final two games of the ZIFA Northern Region Division One league, there was a feeling many football fans were singing in the Pirates corner.
The sight of thousands of their fans backing their community team to try and reach the Promised Land charmed the hearts of many true supporters of the game.
Now, almost halfway into their first appearance in the Premiership, it has to be said that some of those fans, who cheered in their corner, are now questioning their allegiance to the Zaire cause.
“You can’t have a team with such wild supporters they think they own local football and their team has to win all the time otherwise there will be violence,” said Moses Ntini, a local fan, yesterday.
“We have never had a scenario where visiting fans stop a game at Rufaro featuring Dynamos or CAPS United in the history of our top league.
“But, this happened on Sunday, you have a full half an hour lost to the mayhem with missiles flying from Vietnam because they were questioning a call by the linesman.
“This is unacceptable and the Zaire fans should be told, in no uncertain terms, that their wild behaviour is not allowed in organised league football.”
The mayhem followed a goal by William Manondo in the 67th minute.
This means Pirates fans have rioted in their team’s two matches against Dynamos and CAPS United and forced both games to be stopped.
But, away from this madness, there are some very good Pirates fans.
It’s sad that their love for their club has been overshadowed by the tag of hooligans, which now stalk all the Zaire fans these days. One image, amid the chaos at Rufaro on Sunday, captured this beautiful breed of Zaire fans.
It’s a picture of a female Pirates fan, clad in her team’s colours, kissing her CAPS United counterpart, who probably is her husband or boyfriend.
That picture, which is worth a thousand words, shows that beyond all the madness we have seen, especially when Pirates play, there are some beautiful Zaire souls who come to enjoy the game.
They are the kind of images which should remind authorities that they should not ban all the Pirates fans from coming to watch their team, but they should, working in conjunction with the police, identify and weed out the culprits.
Online Reporter