Chiefs drama long coming

I AM not justifying the hooliganism that happened at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday night when Kaizer Chiefs supporters invaded the pitch following the team’s loss at the hands of Free State Stars, but the Amakhosi management should bear much of the responsibility.

They have constantly ignored the calls from supporters to sack the coach, Steve Komphela.

The Premier Soccer League should also have anticipated trouble as it also happened few weeks ago when Chiefs were hammered by Chippa United.

Indeed, this unbecoming behaviour has been going on for a long time ago and it’s very sad that the PSL have waited for it to escalate to this level.

PSL teams must treat the fans and supporters seriously and listen to their dissatisfaction. Football supporters sacrifice a lot – including their family time, money and even risk their lives for the love of the game.

Fans and supporters cannot be taken for granted by the management of clubs.

This reminds me of the reckless statements uttered by Kaizer Chiefs team manager Bobby Motaung – “I didn’t submit a CV for this job” and “This is not an employment but a family business”.

These utterances are still fresh in the minds of Chiefs supporters who have been demanding the sacking of the coach.

Fans must also understand that football is a game of win OR lose and must stop this hooliganism as it damages the image of the club and brings the club into disrepute.

The PSL and club management must hire proper security personnel and do risk management assessments to curb the potential for violence in our lovely game of football.

I also appeal to all South Africans, including the media, to take part in the transformation of supporters’ behaviour. — Wandile Ngceba, Dutywa