Chronicle Editor
Dingilizwe Ntuli, Sports Editor
HIGH-RIVALRY matches generally come with unprecedented tensions, which tend to spark hooliganism by some unruly or obstructive overzealous fans.
In such high-pressure matches, both sets of rival players should be at their best behaviour and exercise fair play, while the match officials have to be on top of their game to prevent any form of destructive behaviour that could be triggered by glaring mistakes or perceived bias.
Although aggression is, to a certain extent a necessary part of contact sport such as football, inclination towards violent conduct with intent to injure an opponent must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
After all, football is just a game and it boggles the mind why some players employ unnecessary aggressive tactics to intentionally inflict physical injury on an opponent even in an exhibition match, as we witnessed in the Independence Cup final between Highlanders and Dynamos at Barbourfields Stadium on Monday.
Both teams’ players almost spoiled a good ending to a celebratory mood that had enveloped Bulawayo in the first main Independence Day event to be held outside Harare since 1980.
The day’s other events had been flawless, with the exception of a couple of parachute landing mishaps, and the country’s two widely supported teams were meant to be the icing of the day’s festivities, and a few senseless decisions by some players almost undid the day’s superb ceremonial displays and entertainment.
The win-at-all-costs mentality the players carried into the game could still have been achieved within the laws of football without the constant brawling and being overly hostile to each other, even going above and beyond the instrumental aggression necessary to win.
It’s permissible to play with a certain measure of physical aggressiveness in order to win, but what Highlanders’ defender Andrew Mbeba did deserves retrospective punishment one way or the other.
Yes, the Independence Cup was an invitational game with its own rules and regulations, but since it was still a football match and the match officials applied football laws, Mbeba’s intentional elbowing of Dynamos forward Emmanuel Paga in the face in an off-the-ball-incident should not be ignored on the basis that the referee missed the incident.
Fans want to watch good football and not players brawling, fighting or seeking to maim each other as was witnessed on Independence Day.
Although the referee and his nearside assistant missed the incident, it was captured and footage of the sick attack has been circulating on social media, and if football authorities are going to let it go, surely Highlanders must take some form of action against him.
That was an outright assault on Paga and such violent conduct must have no place in our football. He could have caused serious injury to the Dynamos striker, and did not only warrant a red card, but a ban of some sort.
We can’t allow our young talented players like Mbeba to display such blatant violent behaviour in front of thousands of fans.
Even Dynamos’ Shadreck Nyahwa should be condemned for his conduct throughout the match until his eventual sending off in the 87th minute for a dangerous high boot, which caught Bosso defender Mbongeni Ndlovu on the head.
Not only was it dangerous play, but it could have sparked crowd disturbances taking into account the tension which gripped the game from the beginning.
Nyahwa was involved in almost every skirmish on the pitch and one wonders whether these were part of the coach’s plans to frustrate the opponents or it’s just pure indiscipline on his part.
Anchorman Nqobizitha Masuku was lucky to escape without a caution, as he reacted angrily by grabbing Nyahwa by the neck, triggering a scuffle that almost degenerated into a fist fight between both sets of players.
This behaviour was such a bad advert for our football, which has fallen way behind regional standards for which we once prided ourselves as torchbearers.
A way must also be found to create an atmosphere where hurtful taunts, songs and chants are discouraged, and positive sportsmanship encouraged to limit the number of provocations in the game and the number of skirmishes between players.
The best match officials must also be appointed to handle such big invitational games since they highly influence the outcome.
Football must be fun to play and watch, and return to being the beautiful game that families can enjoy, and not a war zone, as Barbourfields Stadium threatened to become, with pushing and shoving on the pitch and missile throwing from the stands.
Online Reporter