FinalWhistle: Stop this CAPS United madness

Sport
Moses Chunga is a jolly good fellow and has always been a good advertisement for domestic football. 

One sunny Saturday afternoon some few years ago, the man they call Bambo walked into Rufaro with his brood and briefly sat on the bench. The message that he passed on this day is that football is a family event which should be enjoyed by all, thus he decided to bring his tiny tots to Rufaro.

But not anymore. Chunga should come to Rufaro at his own risk and should not forget his crash helmet, especially when his side is playing CAPS United. He must also be prepared to duck and dodge every missile that would be thrown at him in the event that his side scores against Makepekepe.

CAPS United supporters have turned Rufaro — the theatre of dreams for Chunga as a player and coach —  into a house of horror for the 44-year-old gaffer. He has been called every swear word imaginable by the noisy and nasty Makepekepe supporters during his nine months flirtation with the Green Machine.

He then decided to throw in the towel despite having a running contract with CAPS United and started a new life at Gunners. Like a worker bee, Bambo started by assembling his modest side for a clash with CAPS United and they drew nil-all in the first league match.

All hell broke loose in the reverse fixture when Makepekepe were stunned 2-0 by Gunners and the Green Machine supporters could not stomach the defeat from a coach they had booted out of their house. The raw anger and hate was there for everyone to see at Rufaro, etched across the faces of the Green Machine supporters, when Gunners scored their two goals. They then executed their anger by throwing missiles into the park after which  the match had to be abandoned.  The mayhem was not about Gunners scoring but about Chunga’s success as a coach.

This CAPS supporters’ madness should stop. This obsession over Chunga, which has turned into hatred, should stop. It is high time the premiership should send a clear and bold message to these brash supporters by banning them from the stadiums. The police should be able to fish out the trouble makers. Rather than spending the day watching the match, the cops should also be planted in bays, which are known to house the Green Machine supporters.

Buying a ticket to watch a match is not a free pass to be vile for two hours and does not afford temporary resignation from the human race. This madness should stop.

The club owners should also stop dancing to the tune of supporters who decide which coach should be fired when it pleases them.Football fans want their idols to behave and treat them with respect. But supporters are not very good at behaving in a respectful way towards the stars on the playing surface — respect starts in the stands.

As always, there will be recriminations, claims and counter-claims; all that bogus guff about who started what and why.

I can’t comment on what happened outside Rufaro, but I know what I saw inside. It was horrible to say the least. Stop these barbaric acts or kiss football goodbye.

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