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Bosso fans versus Farai Jere and Mutasa
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In an unprecedented move, Highlanders Football Club supporters boycotted their team's 2-0 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) win over ZPC Kariba at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday. The protest was a response to allegations of corruption, match-fixing, and criminal collusion between cash-rich team owners and football authorities, which supporters claim is tarnishing the integrity of the game.
The boycott was primarily directed at the PSL, chaired by Farai Jere, and the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Normalisation Committee, led by Lincoln Mutasa, as well as PSL chief executive Kennedy Ndebele. Fans accused these football authorities of enabling corrupt practices that compromise fair play in the country's premier football competitions.
The tipping point for this protest was a controversial decision during the Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final clash between Highlanders and Simba Bhora. In the final minutes of the match, Simba Bhora was awarded a penalty for an infringement that Highlanders supporters and players claim occurred outside the penalty box. In defiance, Highlanders walked off the pitch, refusing to allow the penalty to be taken. Subsequently, the match was awarded to Simba Bhora, despite the suspension of the referees involved. Highlanders were slapped with a US$6,000 fine for abandoning the game, deepening fan resentment.
The boycott on Sunday saw Barbourfields Stadium noticeably less packed, as fans chose to congregate elsewhere, including at the Bosso Club House, where they held fund-raising activities to gather the funds needed to pay the US$6,000 fine. The supporters' message was clear: they would rather raise the money themselves than let it go to what they view as a corrupt system.
"We will not allow the game we love to be controlled by corrupt forces who manipulate results for their own gain," one supporter said. "We would rather raise the money among ourselves than feed into this broken system."
The protest has left PSL officials and ZIFA's Normalisation Committee in an awkward position, as they face mounting pressure to address concerns of corruption and poor officiating. The bold stance taken by Highlanders supporters has highlighted a growing frustration among fans, calling into question the transparency and fairness of Zimbabwean football.
As the season progresses, it remains to be seen whether football authorities will act to restore credibility to the game or face further backlash from frustrated fans. Highlanders' victory on the pitch may have been overshadowed by the off-field drama, but the boycott has sparked a significant conversation about the integrity of football governance in Zimbabwe.
The boycott was primarily directed at the PSL, chaired by Farai Jere, and the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Normalisation Committee, led by Lincoln Mutasa, as well as PSL chief executive Kennedy Ndebele. Fans accused these football authorities of enabling corrupt practices that compromise fair play in the country's premier football competitions.
The tipping point for this protest was a controversial decision during the Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final clash between Highlanders and Simba Bhora. In the final minutes of the match, Simba Bhora was awarded a penalty for an infringement that Highlanders supporters and players claim occurred outside the penalty box. In defiance, Highlanders walked off the pitch, refusing to allow the penalty to be taken. Subsequently, the match was awarded to Simba Bhora, despite the suspension of the referees involved. Highlanders were slapped with a US$6,000 fine for abandoning the game, deepening fan resentment.
The boycott on Sunday saw Barbourfields Stadium noticeably less packed, as fans chose to congregate elsewhere, including at the Bosso Club House, where they held fund-raising activities to gather the funds needed to pay the US$6,000 fine. The supporters' message was clear: they would rather raise the money themselves than let it go to what they view as a corrupt system.
"We will not allow the game we love to be controlled by corrupt forces who manipulate results for their own gain," one supporter said. "We would rather raise the money among ourselves than feed into this broken system."
The protest has left PSL officials and ZIFA's Normalisation Committee in an awkward position, as they face mounting pressure to address concerns of corruption and poor officiating. The bold stance taken by Highlanders supporters has highlighted a growing frustration among fans, calling into question the transparency and fairness of Zimbabwean football.
As the season progresses, it remains to be seen whether football authorities will act to restore credibility to the game or face further backlash from frustrated fans. Highlanders' victory on the pitch may have been overshadowed by the off-field drama, but the boycott has sparked a significant conversation about the integrity of football governance in Zimbabwe.
Source - online
