Latest News Editor's Choice


Sports / Soccer

PSL summon Dembare

by Staff reporter
02 Nov 2017 at 05:24hrs | Views
THE Premier Soccer League, battling to contain increasing incidents of violence at top-flight matches, have hauled the title-chasing pair of Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum to a hearing following incidents that rocked their top-of-the-table clash at Baobab last Saturday.

In ugly scenes that reduced the domestic Premiership to an amateur league, there were even some pitch invasions by the Dynamos fans.

Hosts Ngezi were also on the wrong side of the rules and regulations that govern the game with one of their "ball boys'' also interrupting play while their fans engaged in a nasty and violent exchange of missiles with the visiting supporters.

PSL communications and media liaison officer Kudzai Bare said in a statement yesterday that the PSL had summoned Dynamos and Ngezi to a hearing on November 9.

"Both clubs are being charged for breaching Order 31 of the PSL rules and regulations and are certain to face fines,'' the statement read.

"Dynamos are being charged for violence and pitch invasion while Ngezi are being charged for violence and disrupting normal proceedings of the match.''

The PSL have also sought measures to deal with the recurrence of violence at their matches with Bare revealing that they would conduct a stakeholders' workshop in Kadoma tomorrow.

Apart from the incidents at Baobab there have been ugly scenes of violence this season at such venues like Maglas, Mandava and Barbourfields.

There have also been cases of commotion at matches with supporters trying to take matters into their hands whenever they disagree with refereeing decisions, even when in the majority of instances, the fans would be ignorant of the ever-changing laws of the game.

The PSL are hopeful they will find lasting solutions to violence at matches and they believe the stakeholders' conference they will stage where Fifa head of security in Zimbabwe, Brighton Mudzamiri, will also give an address on crowd management and stewarding, could lay the platform for curbing the scourge.

"The PSL continues to be deeply disturbed by the unruly behaviour of some football fans who do not seem to be taking heed of calls to desist from violence, pitch invasions and commotion at football matches.

"In a move to curtail violence and hooliganism, the PSL is holding a stakeholders workshop with the club chief executives, security officers, chairpersons of supporters clubs from selected clubs, heads of private security companies and senior Zimbabwe Republic Police officers to discuss security and crowd management at football matches.

"The football stakeholders' workshop shall be held on November 3 at Kadoma hotel and Conference Centre.

"The meeting will review incidents of violence, pitch invasions, disorderliness and match disruptions that have taken place at various stadia.

"Facilitators led by Chief Superintendent Brighton Mudzamiri will also address issues of crowd management and stewarding,'' the PSL said.

Bare said the PSL were looking at coming up with a draft security manual to be followed by all clubs at future Premiership matches.

Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Minister Makhosini Hlongwane had earlier this week also added his voice on the growing incidents of violence at matches and suggested hefty penalties among a cocktail of remedies which the top-flight body could come up with.

Hlongwane indicated he wanted his ministry to meet with the Sport and Recreation Commission, ZIFA and the PSL among the key stakeholders with a view to finding solutions to the scourge of violence at matches.

But with the PSL taking the initiative tomorrow, the ministry could second representatives to Kadoma to also give their input in the drafting of the proposed manual which the PSL intends to come up with.

Source - chronicle