Editor – With the myriad problems the world is facing in this day and age, is it really necessary to make sport another problem?
There is violence, poverty, abuse and the list goes on… So do we really need violence in soccer stadiums as well?
I am referring to the absolutely horrifying spectacle that unfolded at the Moses Mabhida Stadium after Kaizer Chiefs lost to Free State Stars.
It was shocking to see the wholesale destruction of property, not to mention the attack on the security guard that has everyone talking.
Kicking someone while they are on the ground is no way to behave, period!
What was going through those fans’ minds?
Yes, I’m sure they were bitterly disappointed by the fact that their team had just been bundled out of the Nedbank Cup, but come on!
This is sport at the end of the day, not warfare, and is meant to be embraced in that spirit.
There is a frightening trend of protests and looting in this country whenever anyone doesn’t get their way.
Yes, air your grievances when it comes to service delivery and commiserate with your friends when your beloved sports teams lose, but violence and destruction of property is not the way to go.
It just makes an already bad situation worse. Can’t anybody see that?
Sport is touted as one of the things that brings unity in this fragmented country of ours, making us the “rainbow nation”. How do we expect the rifts in this country to be healed when even an enjoyable pastime like sport causes this much havoc?
Sportsmen and women themselves are expected to be sportsmanlike and accept defeat graciously. The fans should follow suit.
There is no room for this kind of hooliganism that is a mere symptom of a larger problem in this country.
Let’s be serious about the serious stuff and be entertained by the entertaining stuff like sport, even though we may be unhappy with the result of the matches that are played.
I’ve heard of “bad losers”, but this takes it to the extreme and is totally unacceptable on every level.
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