Thanks to the hooligans no one can watch
This would have been a big weekend for KwaZulu-Natal supporters had it not been for the hooligans who rioted and vandalised the Moses Mabhida Stadium in May – all because their team had lost a match, which is the norm in football.
Both Soweto giants, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, are in Durban this weekend and having lived in that beautiful city for four years I know how lively and vibrant it can be when any of the two have a match there.
Chiefs host Polokwane City at 6pm at the same venue their fans set alight on the fateful night in May after Luc Eymael’s Free State Stars had ensured Amakhosi went no further than the semifinal.
The Buccaneers are at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi where they take on AmaZulu. It seldom happens that these two teams who command the most support in the country play in the same city or even province at the same day or weekend.
Whichever stadium they play in is packed with colourful supporters, some of whom had waited for hours to see their favourite team in action.
What dampens this weekend for Durban supporters is that like most of us, they will have to watch the match on TV because they are banned from the stadium as part of the punishment meted out to Chiefs for the May incident.
This ban has come at a time where every Khosi supporter wants to see the team live. They are playing some attractive football which is nicely complemented by goals as seen in September where they scored eight goals in three matches.
Siphelele Ntshangase’s Champagne passes, Khama Billiat’s unbelievably deceptive runs, Itumeleng Khune’s sometimes magical saves are some of the elements that make watching Chiefs a joy this season. And supporters in Durban will not get to watch it live today. And they deserve it.
In fact, I think the ban is not punitive enough, especially for the fans because they will still watch on TV. It will not be the same though because as Giovanni Solinas said this week, the fans make football. They bring the vibe and make it a spectacle.
“In the game against Cape Town City in Cape Town there were 30 000 supporters behind us and we did well (winning 4-1),” said Solinas this week as he lamented the absence of their faithful tonight.
I think the PSL’s Disciplinary Committee should think about ordering SuperSport to have a blackout in the area where the offence was committed, this time the match would not be beamed to Durban and the surrounding areas so those hooligans would feel the pain of having rely on social media get how things are going in their own backyard.
Having them see it on TV is even more convenient for them because it allows them to enjoy a glass or two of their favourite beverages while they watch the game.
A harsher punishment for the fans would be if the game were to be a total blackout. I know this would be unfair on some who were not even there when the hooligans got up to no good but it would teach all of us to be responsible and stop someone when they start throwing things on to the pitch because that is where it escalates.