COMMENT
Mihlali Baleka
Football fans are said to be the spiritual owners of their clubs, and as such, they have the power to either make or break their respective institutions.
Kaizer Chiefs’ supporters have made the club over the years. Such was their influence in its growth, it’s now the biggest institution in the country. However, just similarly to the energy they brought into making it one of the biggest brands in Africa, it seems they are channelling the same effort towards their demise.
The clubs’ fans now predictably resorted to violent behaviour during their 4-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Carling Knockout quarter-final over the weekend. They invaded the pitch and threw missiles onto the field, either targeting their own team or referee Luxolo Badi. They were expressing their frustration over the extension of their 10-year barren trophy run, but they need to understand that violent behaviour has no place in our football.
Not only does it bring discomfort to the players, officials and technical team, but it brings the league into disrepute. Given that the PSL is worth billions of rands, they can’t allow one club — regardless of its worth and fanbase — to taint their image.
The PSL disciplinary committee (DC) is expected to act without prejudice and hand Chiefs a sanction in the next few days for their supporters’ behaviour. The bad news for Amakhosi is that it will not be the first time this season that they are summoned to appear before the DC because of poor fan behaviour.
Club Statement
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) November 5, 2024
Kaizer Chiefs would like to sincerely apologise to all our stakeholders, sponsors, the Premier Soccer League (PSL), South African Football Association (SAFA), and our loyal supporters for the disappointing incidents witnessed on Saturday during the Carling… pic.twitter.com/Y4ZMgBFyPK
Chiefs’ fans resorted to hooliganism in September following their 2-1 loss to Sundowns in the Betway Premiership at FNB Stadium, the same venue as last Saturday. Chiefs were fined R100 000 and R50 000 suspended for that incident for six months, but a previous R100 000 suspended fine also kicked in, and the club had to pay R150 000.
PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu is expected to sanction them for the most recent misconduct again. The club apologised yesterday, saying they don’t condone the behaviour, vowing to work closely with all stakeholders to ensure the law runs its course. But Majavu cannot be lenient again.
Instead, Majavu must go hard on Amakhosi and their supporters by hitting them across the board — in their pockets and their pride — by banning the fans for a number of home games.
The current penalties solely affect the club and not the fans. With the supporters priding themselves in rallying behind their team as the 12th man, they’ll also suffer when they are prohibited from attending games.
Chiefs’ next game against Richards Bay at Peter Mokaba Stadium in three weeks’ time is crucial, and Majavu and his legal team are expected to pass judgment on the club before that match. The PSL DC must target that game for banning fans, especially given what it means in the greater scheme of things.
Chiefs must win against the Natal Rich Boyz to get back to the winning trail after three winless games across all competitions, including the league. The people of Polokwane have also come out in numbers to support their team this season, including in the back-to-back clashes against SuperSport United and Magesi, respectively.
Their absence, therefore, would surely hurt the team, but in the same breath, coach Nasreddine Nabi will probably hope that their fans quickly realise there’s no place for violence in the beautiful game. Nabi made a daring apology to the fans after the loss to Sundowns, vowing that it won’t happen again.
Nonetheless, it can’t be that when Chiefs have a bad day at the office, their fans resort to violence. They are not only tarnishing the club’s image, but they are also undoing all the hard work they put in to make the club and the league one of the best brands in African football.