PSL to root out hooliganism at matches
JOBURG - The Premier Soccer League has vowed to do everything possible to root out hooliganism at soccer games 'as part of a bigger strategy to protect our brand'.
This was said by the league’s acting CEO Mato Madlala. She added that the league was concerned about sporadic acts of hooliganism resulting in violence at premier league fixtures. The league will continue to work closely with police to root out this unsavoury behaviour at matches, she said.
“We have noted acts of hooliganism from a faction of supporters and this is very concerning to us as the league,” she said.
“We strongly condemn this behaviour. It is unacceptable and we do not need this in our football.
“We have worked very hard as the league to ensure that we eliminate incidents of this nature at our matches in the past but, recently, we have witnessed a few cases where a small faction of supporters has not behaved well.”
She described football as a family sport and said families ought to feel safe to come to stadiums. As part of the working relationship the league has with police, hooligans have been arrested, charged and convicted following similar incidents, she said.
“We will continue to work hard to ensure the safety of our fans and to protect our brand against this faction of supporters that is letting football down,” Madlala added without mentioning any names but is believed to have directed her comments to the events that unfolded after the Pirates versus Celtic game on 27 February.
In that game, after the referee blew the final whistle Celtic fans allegedly pelted Pirates supporters with an assortment of missiles. It resulted in a full-blown confrontation with chairs being uprooted and thrown in the iconic Orlando Stadium in Orlando East, Soweto.
Celtic fans were said to have been bitter about their defeat by the Buccaneers, which has seen the team slump in the log standings.
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