Hooliganism has no place in soccer

Misheck Shambare

Some say rugby is a game of hooligans watched by professionals while soccer is said to be a game of professionals watched by radicals.

The statement seeks to describe how these two games operate. Rugby is a hard game where players in the game seem to be fighting a lot yet is the game. At the same time people who watch rugby are much orderly and well controlled and the atmosphere is friendly for family gathering.

The same cannot be said about the world most watched sport soccer in Zimbabwe which seems to have peace in the playing field nonetheless people who watch it are something else. They are violent in nature and unruly behavior because they do not want to accept the result of the matches.

The game of soccer has three options of result after it ended and it’s up to the supporters to accept it in a routine that will not hurt others. Whether your team has lost, drew or win soccer fans should just accept their fate as it comes. Not every day that your team wins and collects maximum points sometimes a loss or a stalemate is bound to come your way that’s the reality of the sport.

Violence will not change the complexion of the result but it can make even the situation more difficult for your teams since they will be punished accordingly regarding the raucous behavior of its fans.

Soccer is a beautiful game watched by millions of people all over the world including women and children. They go and celebrate their teams playing at the same time as it’s a form of entertainment.

However for Zimbabwean football it has become a restricted zone for women and children who cannot consume the actions of male soccer fans that which is blemished by violence and foul language as well as victimization.

Some people say a football match is where male adults behave in a manner can be equated to that of wild drunkard ghetto youths or rank touts. A football match should be a peaceful joint or a place of celebration where soccer fans enjoy the game with no hard feelings.

Women and children are constantly victimized at the stadium. When women go for a soccer match they have to go through their clothes to find something that will not cause commotion. For instance if they wear miniskirts or tight fitting clothes they will be victimized and shamed by some unruly men.

As a result fewer women attends soccer matches because they fear being victimized and some sections of the public compare women who go to soccer matches as same as prostitutes.

Other races fear to attend soccer matches because of fear to be racially discriminated by the rowdy soccer supporters in the country

Soccer fans in the country lack maturity in terms of supporting the worlds most watched game. In actual fact it’s no longer supporting but it’s now a platform of victimizing other people in the name of soccer.

A good example where supporting soccer had exceeded its expectations by unbecoming behavior is the recent game between Dynamos and Highlanders at the Barbour field’s stadium. Highlanders overreacted when they were a goal down. They started to throw missiles into the pitch to show their anger but however in a game of football the team that plays better should win and it’s up to fans to accept their fate.

What can be done?

Having attended the Zimbabwe and South Africa cricket test match it dawned on me that a lot needs to be done as far as supporting soccer in the country is concerned.  Cricket brought together different races, the blacks, the whites, Indians and Muslims but which is not the same thing in a game of soccer.

If soccer is to gain its status it needs a lot of stake holders to chip in towards the game. Soccer fans need nerves to accept the outcome of the game because it will save lives, money and infrastructure destruction.

For these things to be avoided it needs a lot of measures that includes educating the fans on the dangers of violence through the Zimbabwe football governing body.

Teams should be punished to play in empty stadiums to encourage discipline of the fans. By so doing it will enable fans to exercise the violence free soccer matches.

Security should do its job conscientiously and search people for dangerous weapons into the stadium. Like the incident that happened last year that a soccer fan entered into the ground with a catapult but was later apprehended by police before hurting anyone.

Soccer players should start to preach discipline to their fans and not provoke other team’s fans. Some players have a tendency of celebrating a goal going to the bay of the opposite team which aggravates anger and then violence.

The game of football in the country is in stagnations with the way fans behave at the matches. A notable number of people have died due to injuries that are said to have been sustained from violence emanating from supporting a soccer match.