adminRUWA is such a lovely and peaceful place, on the margins of the ever expanding Harare, and sitting on a major highway to the east.
It’s normally a very quiet place.
That tranquillity was shattered on Sunday when what was supposed to be a landmark day, for the beautiful game, turned the area into a war-zone.
Why?
Simply because some hooligans, who are anti-football, decided to take matters into their own hands and turn the stadium, where the game was set to be held in Windsor, into a battlefield.
Okay, let’s first paint the picture of what this game was all about.
In more ways than one, this was set to be the decider, the match which would determine whether Green Fuel’s relentless search for a place in the Premier League would yield them top-flight status.
All that the men from Chisumbanje, who have dominated the campaign from day one, needed was just a point, against Grayham.
The odds were with Lloyd Mutasa’s troops because they have been unstoppable this season and destroyed everything in their path.
The Dynamos legend, a true servant of local football, has slowly been rebuilding his profile in the Lowveld and, in Green Fuel, he has found a club which matches his ambitions.
He brought in a number of seasoned players, in a league where experience is priceless, and they have been, by far, the best team in the ZIFA Eastern Region Division One league.
Sunday should have been their finest hour, and deservedly so, and – given the huge investment, which the parent company has injected into this project – it would have been a fair dividend for their sponsors.
We have always preached the gospel that our top-flight league should not only be made up of clubs from Harare and Bulawayo but must have teams from all over the country.
Football development should not be just about the two big cities but should be seen to be happening across all parts of the country because this is our national game.
When all the big matches are played in Harare and Bulawayo, then football ceases to be a national game but just one for the two big cities.
That’s why we have always been charmed by the investment which has come from the platinum miners in Zvishavane and Ngezi in transforming their clubs into competitive teams.
What we don’t want to see is the chaos, which blighted Ruwa on Sunday, as marauding hooligans, disguised as the home team’s fans, attacked anyone who was not from their area.
They barred the Green Fuel team and players from accessing the stadium, for warm-up, and then unleashed violence on anyone with a face they don’t know from their town.
Our sports reporter, Curtworth Masango, was also caught up in the melee and attacked by these hooligans.
It’s a shame and ZIFA should come down hard on these thugs and ban them from all football activities, including access into our stadiums.
Imagine the investment, which has been made by Green Fuel into football, and they are rewarded with such anarchy.
We all need to act to protect our national game.
dyton mupawaenda
Online Reporter