Stamp out football hooliganism

Mmegi Editor | Wednesday April 16, 2014 11:34

 

The Molepolole Sports Complex was supposed to be the focus of attention for football fans over the weekend. It was TAFIC’s penultimate match in the Premier League after over a decade of dalliance with the dreaded axe.

Annoyingly, but not entirely unexpected, Gunners managed to sneak in and steal the show.

Gunners and GU fans engaged in running battles in Lobatse, besmirching the beautiful image loyal and disciplined football stakeholders thrive to portray.

Gunners’ fans - loved and loathed in equal measure in some quarters - have since been fingered for blame. The BPL has charged the club with misconduct and issued summons for an appearance before the Disciplinary Committee next Tuesday.

This is not the first time Gunners fans have been involved in ugly confrontations.

Recently, the Premier League office accused the fans of destroying seats at the National Stadium, a development that saw the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) threaten to suspend use of the facility.

A few seasons back, Gunners’ fans and players were accused of attacking a referee in Orapa. Two years ago, there was a stampede in Molepolole during a league match involving Gunners and Rollers.

While we do not wish to pre-empt what will happen at the BPL Disciplinary Committee next week, history categorically shows a disturbing trend involving Gunners’ supporters. It is evident that while they cannot all be painted with the same brush, there are plenty of rotten apples in the lot.

The BPL, which moved quickly to identify the offenders on Monday, should proceed with the same speed to punish. This is critical given the numerous instances of hooliganism that have not been comprehensively dealt with.

It is not only the fans that have been misbehaving. The players have also engaged in despicable behaviour. Some have been accused of assaulting match officials when their duty is to play football. These players take advantage of the weak penalties knowing that they will receive a slap on the wrist and be back on the field with minimum delays.

“Lenient sentences will not deter hooligans and instead could embolden them,” BPL chief executive officer, Bennett Mamelodi was unequivocal when he stated the need to stamp out the problem this week. Such talk must be matched with tough action lest it become empty rhetoric.

Football is, and must be a family game but the violence creeping into the sport could hardly attract right-thinking people to the stadiums. Sponsors are watching. So is the rest of the nation.

                                         Today’s thought

“Knowing that we can control our own behaviour makes it more likely that we will.”

 

                                           - Peter Singer