adminLovemore Dube Sports Editor
A BULAWAYO company Metalex Marketing yesterday donated soccer kits to Dynamos and Highlanders supporters to promote the fight against hooliganism. The two sets of supporters have been playing against each other in friendly matches every weekend since the Independence Cup final won by Dynamos.
They both agree that peace at stadia has to start outside and that every soccer fan has a responsibility to ensure that the game is a unifier.
Metalex Marketing director Gondo Gondo, himself a prominent DeMbare supporter in the city, said he was playing his own part in promoting a spirit of togetherness among the fans.
“I love the game of football and I love the country’s biggest clubs. I support Dynamos though.
“We have said as a company we want to play our own part in the fight against hooliganism in football by buying uniforms for the two most supported clubs in the land. The spirit is we are one as Zimbabweans and soccer should unite us and it should be free from violence,” said Gondo.
He said he was impressed to see what started as one afternoon’s light jog among a few from both clubs becoming a regular feature on weekends.
“These guys from the two clubs play against each other every weekend. The spirit is mutual, they are great friends and we are saying people must embrace that attitude throughout the country. We saw Dynamos and Highlanders executives getting sponsorships together from Nyaradzo and BancABC.
They have been in it for ages together, the players meet and chat or even drink together, they played together in the national teams. They have never fought, why should supporters not extend the same spirit of camaraderie?” asked Gondo.
Duduzo Sibanda, 40, the vice-secretary of the Highlanders Heart and Soul Supporters Association, who have been organising trips for paid up club members to away games and have been playing their Dynamos counterparts since April, called on fans to desist from violence.
“One stone thrown onto the pitch costs Highlanders $8 000. We don’t want violence because the fines impact negatively on the team. At times that even affects the rhythm of the game. The $8 000 fine is supposed to be spent on important club financial commitments,” said Sibanda.
He said theirs with the Bulawayo based Dynamos supporters was a way of educating their counterparts elsewhere that soccer was about love and friendship.
“After all soccer is about life, love and joy and not war,” said Sibanda.
Panus Madziya, the Dynamos Bulawayo Chapter chairman called for a violence-free weekend in Bulawayo and welcomed Gondo’s gesture.
“We are advocating for an environment which is free from violence in Zimbabwe football. Soccer is a family affair, we should all be able to take our children and parents there. Self-restraint should prevail all the time in soccer and through this initiative we believe hooliganism can be dealt with.
“We have to learn to be tolerant in our everyday life. We appreciate what Gondo has done we encourage many companies to join the fight against violence at soccer matches. Through social soccer we are trying to educate the nation that we are one after all,” said Madziya.
Another permanent feature at the teams’ games Audrey Munthali (37) also called on supporters to refrain from violence.
She is a Highlanders supporter.
“Violence scares away people and sponsors. Let us see football bringing people from different places together for fun. The fines that our club has paid have affected the club because that money could have been used to pay players as well as meet other club expanses,” said Munthali.
Another member of the group Clifford Nyakutsikwa who is in the Dynamos executive, said they wanted to lead by example.
“We live in Bulawayo together, our kids go to the same schools, we work together and we use same public facilities.
“We want soccer fans from elsewhere to find us united in Bulawayo. They will find it difficult to engage in violence because there is no room for that,” said Nyakutsikwa.
Chunkie Dube the vice-captain of Highlanders supporters said they want to cheer up their teams together without any group of fellow fans chiding them as is exhibited in other countries.
“Win or lose it’s still a game of football, violence is affecting our teams,” said Dube.
Metalex will be printing flyers encouraging peace at soccer stadia.
Online Reporter