Online Reporter
Tawah Munthali
Zimpapers SportsHub
FOOTBALL has always been about passion.
The songs from the terraces, rival supporters trying to outshine each other and the emotions that come with wanting your team to win are part of what makes the game special.
But, sometimes, that same passion crosses the line. What happened at Chahwanda was another reminder of how violence can quickly destroy what should be a good day for football.
What started as a big occasion, with a packed stadium and excited supporters, ended with scenes many people would rather forget.
Before the match started, the atmosphere felt like exactly what local football needs. Supporters came in large numbers and there was noise from every corner of the stadium.
Dynamos supporters turned sections of the ground blue-and-white while home supporters responded with green, white and gold.
For a while, it felt like a good advertisement for local football.
The turnout showed that people are still willing to support the local game when there is a fixture that excites them.
But some signs were already there before kick-off.
Supporters had already breached the perimeter fence and entered the field of play. There was also the unusual battle around the centre circle involving rival supporters. At the time it looked like part of the excitement around the occasion, but looking back, it may have been a warning that emotions inside the stadium were already becoming difficult to control. Violence in football does not always start with one big incident. Sometimes it starts with smaller things that people ignore.
The delayed kick-off because of congestion at the gates and the growing tension in parts of the stadium suggested there were already challenges before the game had properly settled.
Then came controversial moments during the match, especially the penalty awarded to Hardrock.
Soon objects were being thrown onto the field and play had to be stopped several times. It did not take long before the situation became worse and supporters started confronting each other.
The sad thing is that situations like these affect more than just one match.
Families and children, who witnessed what happened, may not feel comfortable returning to the stadium.
Football should be a place where people enjoy themselves and not somewhere people are thinking about safety.
Violence can also damage the image of the local game.
Sponsors want to be associated with positive things like entertainment and excitement. They do not want their brands linked to disorder and violence.
Instead of people talking about football itself, conversations now moved towards crowd trouble and security concerns. The football became secondary.
Questions will also be asked about security arrangements and whether enough was done to manage such a big fixture. At the end of it all, the biggest disappointment is that a match, which had started with so much excitement, ended for the wrong reasons.
Football rivalries are part of the game and emotions will always be there.
But no supporter should leave a stadium injured or afraid.
Because once that happens, football starts losing what makes people love it in the first place.
daniel chigunwe