Durban – The time has come for the PSL to make a strong decision on its Durban delinquents. Whenever the “big three” of SA football arrive in “South Africa’s playground”, mayhem ensues at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Supposedly controlled by “security”, who are more concerned with matters on the pitch than in the stands, the tempestuous and lager-laced louts of KwaZulu-Natal are really out of hand.
From the Orlando Pirates mass mobbing of the pitch when they secured the Telkom Knockout against Wits in 2011, to Sundowns and Pirates fans hurling abuse – and whatever they can part with – at coaches who have supposedly let them down, the attitude of football fans needs to change.
Last week’s attack on referee Lwandile Mfiki, during the heated Golden Arrows-Kaizer Chiefs clash, ought to be the final straw.
If Mfiki hadn’t displayed ninja-like tendencies when avoiding a slashing vuvuzela from a deranged Chiefs fan, who knows what could have transpired? Yes, Mfiki’s decision to send off “Yeye” Letsholonyane was a howler, but is it really enough reason to try and decapitate a man trying to do his job in a tense environment?
Worse, the Kaizer Chiefs bench and players did their level best to whip the baying throng into a frenzy. Teams haphazardly get petty fines for “not controlling their fans”, but Chiefs knew full well what they were doing by inciting their 12th man, and they only served to add fuel to an already raging furnace.
There is a fine line between passion and red rage, and Chiefs’ fans last weekend were getting increasingly agitated, as they saw their side stumble. At times like that, they look for a scapegoat.
Had Arrows somehow nicked a win over the aspiring league champions, Mfiki could have left the stadium in an ambulance, because access to the playing field is a long drink and a short leap away for spectators.
Several of our 2010 stadiums were built with immaculately behaved fans in mind, but in South African football, seating arrangements are not even adhered to in the stands.
Perched in the safety of the press box, we witnessed several, heated disputes between those who believe in a “first-come, first-served” system, and more civilised fans, who naively assumed that a seat number on your match ticket guarantees your spot.
The same problem occurred during the recent 2013 Afcon tournament, but those issues were brushed under the carpet, amid a wave of positive PR about full-houses and a Bafana renaissance.
But they will not go away. This is a problem that persists in football, and one that our authorities need to address by a bit more than a press release admonishing hooliganism of any sort.
When one pans an eye across Europe, some of the biggest clubs have tired of getting fines and playing in front of empty stadiums for their fans’ behaviour, and they have erected towering nets to keep the mindless few at bay.
At the Nou Camp, home of the prettiest football on the planet, spectators watch the game through something resembling a fishing net. Barcelona may dominate most games, but when things get messy, pigs heads, bottles and all manner of objects are aimed at players and officials.
In this country, with our intolerance for rules and regulations, surely we should be doing the same. If our fans want to behave like animals, they should be treated as such, because, sooner or later, someone will get caught up in the crossfire and really get hurt.
The so-called beautiful game in this country has a dark soul, one that can be bloodthirsty when vexed, and the PSL can no longer pussy-foot around the issue.
It’s time to show these animals the red card.