Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates have been in trouble with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for unruly fan behaviour on four separate occasions since March last year. They have been slapped with financial fines amounting to R360,000; each time over half of the amount was suspended.
A suspended fine usually means that the next time the club gets into trouble for the same offence, a much harsher sentence is merited. Not in the PSL, though.
The reason, of course, is simple: The chairman of the constantly offending club - Pirates - is Irvin Khoza.
And who is the chairman of the PSL? You guessed it ... Irvin Khoza.
Herein lies the root of so many of the problems that bedevil the progress of football in this country.
As long as chairmen and owners of PSL clubs direct the future of the sport, they will always, always, ensure that they do not put their own clubs at a disadvantage.
On Saturday night, when Pirates were dumped out of the MTN8 by SuperSport United, the country was again subjected to ugly scenes as Pirates supporters hurled missiles and fireworks onto the pitch and at stadium security, and encroached on to the field after the final whistle.
The PSL, through its acting chief executive Cambridge Mokanyane, sent out the following statement: “What we saw on Saturday night during the MTN8 semi-final clash cannot be condoned. It is not good for us or for the image of football.
“As the league, we condemn it in the strongest possible ways. The safety and security of both the players and the fans is our priority.”
The question, though, remains: How will the PSL react to the latest violation of Pirates and their supporters?
More importantly, isn’t it time that a far stronger message is sent out to football clubs and their fans?
If not, then surely a repeat of the Ellis Park disaster of April 11, 2001, can’t be too far away.
Cape Argus