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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter

THE recurring acts of violence and hooliganism at football stadiums are becoming a huge cause for concern in domestic football as the Premier Soccer League yesterday took a bold decision to suspend all football activities following the anarchy that followed the season’s blockbuster between Dynamos and Highlanders at Barbourfields on Sunday. 

This comes as rowdy fans caused the abandonment of the match after a series of pitch invasions and violence that led to destruction of infrastructure at Barbourfields. 

ZIFA yesterday condemned the acts of hooliganism and called for stiffer penalties for perpetrators. But while solutions are being worked out, the Premier Soccer League office said all top-flight football activities have been halted with immediate effect. 

“The Premier Soccer League has suspended all Castle Lager PSL matches with immediate effect until further notice following incidents of violence and hooliganism that continue to take place in our football. 

“The PSL strongly condemns such acts as they can only serve to tarnish the beautiful game of football. 

“We are currently engaging all key stakeholders to find lasting solutions to these challenges. We have scheduled a meeting with Security Officials including the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Club Security Officers and Marshals as well as stadium owners on Friday 20 May 2022,” said the PSL in a statement yesterday. 

Both Highlanders and Dynamos are likely to face penalties for the chaos after investigations by the PSL Disciplinary Committee. 

“Meanwhile, we have requested Highlanders FC, Dynamos FC and the ZRP to furnish us with reports detailing the events that transpired at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday. We will take disciplinary action after receiving the said reports. 

“We take this opportunity to apologise to all football loving fans, our sponsors and stakeholders. We hope to address these challenges before resuming football matches,” said the PSL statement. 

The recurring acts of violence and hooliganism at football stadiums are becoming a huge cause for concern in domestic football and responsible authorities should move in fast to stamp down the scourge before serious damage to property or lives are lost at the country’s football stadiums. 

Images at Barbourfields on Sunday painted a bad picture as one of the country’s biggest matches between Highlanders and Dynamos was abandoned prematurely.

The match was characterised by stupid tensions on the pitch and extreme levels of insanity in the terraces. Almost everyone was behaving disorderly and this latest instalment of this blockbuster offering was such bad advertisement for local football.

Rowdy fans invaded the pitch at different intervals, with both Highlanders and travelling Dynamos supporters guilty of the offense. 

In the height of the madness, one of the fans was captured attacking a match official, who had to defend himself by fighting back. 

No one knows how that could have ended had the police not reacted in time. 

The attack on referees, the destruction of the perimeter fence and advertising billboards by these hooligans, some of whom also attempted to uproot the goal posts and tore down the goal nets put a huge damper on what was supposed to be an afternoon of exciting football. 

Then the players themselves did not help the matters by their conduct. The angry bust-ups between players from both sets of teams and the angry confrontations with the match officials when they felt the decision did not go their way, the psychological warfare between Highlanders and Dynamos marshals before kick-off and the unhelpful derogatory songs by the fans only added fuel to the chaos. 

Mob psychology spoiled the day and in the end forced the match officials to call off the game as the environment was no longer conducive. 

It was a disappointing sight as anarchy took hold of the match which is supposed to be the country’s major football drawcard and football advertisement to the world. 

ZIFA, through their spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela, said punitive measures have to be taken to nip the problem. 

“The Zimbabwe Football Association condemns acts of hooliganism that disrupted the flow of, and led to the abandonment of the Premier Soccer League match between Highlanders and Dynamos on 15 May 2022. 

“We urge all football stakeholders to always perform their roles to the best of their abilities to ensure that football matches are completely rid of such disruptions. 

“The Association will engage all stakeholders and ensure deterrent punitive measures for all individuals and groups found to be causing the actions that scar the reputation of Zimbabwean football.

“It is also imperative to identify the roots of the hooliganism so that we find a lasting solution. The abandonment of matches is not the best picture of our football that we want the world to see,” said Gwesela. 

But this latest incident is just a continuation of the trend that has been building up this season. In just under a month two matches have been abandoned due to crowd trouble. 

Highlanders have another match against FC Platinum before the PSL Disciplinary Committee following the violence that engulfed Mandava, forcing the referee of the day to call off the match after a pitch invasion by suspected Highlanders fans. 

The other one, the Presidential Independence Cup final between Dynamos and Highlanders on April 18, was also disrupted by missile-throwing fans. This time, the predominantly Dynamos fans rained missiles on the pitch protesting a Highlanders goal.

In fact, the matches between Dynamos and Highlanders are beginning to be a big headache for the authorities if corrective measures are not taken. 

The tensions during the Uhuru final on and off the pitch were unreasonably high as well, and clubs should start by embracing the responsibility to educate their players and their fans that football is not war. 

On Sunday, apart from the ill-temper on the pitch, Bosso supporters were the first to throw missiles onto the pitch in the 68th minute when young Dynamos striker Bill Antonio landed on defender Andrew Tandi with a crude tackle that resulted in a serious-looking ankle injury. 

Antonio saw red for his tackle and play was halted for 13 minutes as medics attended to Tandi on the pitch. Then with barely two minutes added of the 13 minutes’ optional time played Highlanders scored and all hell broke loose as Bosso fans invaded the pitch to celebrate the goal.

Then the chaos spread as DeMbare queried that a foul was committed when the goal was scored. The situation spilled out of control as the Dynamos fans tried to uproot the goal posts and tore the nets. 

Hooliganism has no place in football and police should hunt down the culprits and bring them to book in their individual capacities. Apart from handing them over to the authorities for prosecution, hooligans must be identified and banned from the football stadiums. The authorities should always be quick to address these issues so that the message is clear. Match officials also have a role to play in maintaining order during Premiership games. Former Zimbabwe international Alois Bunjira said a lasting solution is needed. 

“This is nonsense. Hooliganism at its worst. The behaviour amongst us in sport and socially, is nauseating and appalling. It is happening all over, not just in football. The violence, even on social media, is on steroids. 

“The hooligans should be arrested and sent to remand prison until trial in December. And, where are we getting these referees . . . and where are they being trained? Who is training them? 

“And the behaviour of the players? Otherwise, we close down football for now, and go for theory lessons on sportsmanship till next year,” said Bunjira. 

Apart from the potential loss to life and the widespread damage to property, hooliganism is a bad advertisement to football. It discourages well-meaning fans from attending matches, and the clubs lose potential revenue in terms of gate takings. 

Worse, these unfortunate incidents come at a time the league authorities are struggling to attract sponsors and people back to the stadium in the aftermath of the Covid-19 disruptions.