Chronicle Editor
Stanford Chiwanga, [email protected]
EVERY season, it’s the same story. Rarely does a season end without the same events unfolding. It’s as regular as clockwork, a vicious circle, an endless loop. Highlanders play a match. A controversial decision is made. The fans riot. The Premier Soccer League (PSL) comes down hard on the club. A fine is paid. The fans cry foul.
The same scenario recurrently happens to Dynamos. Rinse and repeat. Guaranteed, next season the same thing will happen again. The only question is which one of the two clubs will be punished for crowd trouble.
Occasionally, a Simba Bhora, a CAPS United, or an FC Platinum will feature on the naughty list, but guaranteed, Dynamos or Highlanders will take most of the punishment.
Fan misconduct is the bane of these two clubs. When the overworked accountants are tallying losses at the end of the season, a whole page in the accounts book is dedicated to the damage caused by hooliganism. This happens every season. Rinse and repeat.
This season, Highlanders’ fans decided to literally pay for their sins by fundraising for the club. A noble gesture, but not sustainable and certainly not encouraged.
It’s the equivalent of an abusive husband bringing home flowers and chocolates after giving his wife a black eye the night before. The wife, still nursing her wounds, will accept the apology, but the violence will happen again. Rinse and repeat.
Clearly, punishing the clubs does not make the fans change for the better. It doesn’t work. It will never work. The fans will never learn. They refuse to learn. They don’t want to learn. They don’t love the clubs that much.
They don’t love the clubs enough to change. They don’t want to change. They will never change. Why should they change? They always get away with murder.
Maybe it’s time the PSL shifts its crosshairs from the clubs to the fans. The sins of the father must be visited upon the father. The sins of many should be visited upon the many. Wait a minute, it’s not the majority of the fans who riot. It’s not the majority who invade the pitch.
It’s not the bulk who uproot the fence and the goalposts. It’s only a few. So why should the many pay for the sins of a few? The PSL should punish the few fans who are nabbed for hooliganism.
Let them pay for the damages. Let them pay for their sins. Let them pay or rot in jail. Surely, violent spectators are not too wild to tame.
It’s about time the PSL throws the rule book at the fans. If it is not constitutional to punish the fans, then let the rule book be changed. Work with clubs in identifying the rotten apples.
The fans should be held accountable for their misconduct. An abandoned match should not just be awarded to opponents. An abandoned match should be replayed if possible.
Not from the first whistle. It should be replayed from the minute it was abandoned. That is the standard internationally. It should be the standard locally. Let’s be honest for a minute — no club can truly control its fans. No club can truly prevent violence. No club can stop violence.
That is the duty of the police and private security companies. Are we saying the clubs should not be punished? Certainly not. If a club’s supporters are found responsible, the club should face severe penalties.
There are many options. Clubs can be fined, points can be deducted, or future matches can be played behind closed doors. The match may be replayed, or the result at the time of abandonment may be allowed to stand.
In some cases, the match could be forfeited by the team whose fans caused the abandonment. We are saying the PSL should not always resort to fining clubs and awarding matches to the guilty club’s opponents.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Next time Dynamos’ supporters go on the rampage, don’t fine the club; deduct points. Next time Highlanders’ fans lose their bottle, replay the match with Highlanders meeting all the costs.
But we digress. This piece is about the fans. The minimum sentence for rape in Zimbabwe is 15 years in aggravating circumstances. Its five years when the rape was not committed in aggravated circumstances. The minimum mandatory penalty for stock theft in Zimbabwe is nine years.
What is the minimum sentence for violence at football matches? Violent spectators are at the mercy of magistrates who at times issue suspended sentences and community service. That’s a slap on the wrist. It does not deter hooligans.
The PSL should engage the Parliament of Zimbabwe by proposing a Bill which will make violent fans liable to a minimum of one year in prison and a maximum of five years.
That will put a stop to all the mayhem we witness at matches. That will make football a family sport again.
The PSL is right to say that “the home team shall be responsible for the behaviour of its spectators before, during and after the match until the stadium and its immediate surroundings are cleared of all persons.”
It is also right to say clubs are responsible for the conduct of their supporters “inside or outside a ground before, during or after a match, no matter on which ground the match is played.”
However, the PSL should make it easy for the clubs by ensuring that the laws of the country punish violent supporters severely as it is punishing the clubs. There are no two ways about it.
Online Reporter