Football is about entertainment on the field of play, but when the ball boy becomes an influential figure in determining the outcome of matches, that ceases to be football.
That is the worrying development that has taken hold of Zimbabwean football as ball boys are now being used to either disrupt the flow of play or to employ delaying tactics when the home team is leading and there is little time left.
One example of this unfair practice was what happened at Rufaro Stadium on September 10 when Dynamos engaged Highlanders. DeMbare ball boys continuously disrupted play by throwing extra match balls onto the field of play at a time Bosso were on the attack and threatening to score.
Last Thursday, Highlanders were also the victims of the ball boys, this time against CAPS United at the National Sports Stadium. Bosso coach Errol Akbay had a tough evening, trying to bark instructions from the touchline while also assuming the other role of ball boy.
Akbay resorted to holding an extra match ball in one hand, waiting to throw it on the field when the one in play went out, while at the same time using the other hand to bark instructions to his players.
This was after the home team’s ball boys had mysteriously disappeared from their posts at a time the Green Machine were leading 3-0, with only 16 minutes of play remaining. The question is: From whose instruction did the ball boys leave their posts? The answer is obvious.
However, that game is just an example of what has become the order of the day in Zimbabwean football. Ball boys are fast becoming a determining factor in matches and clubs now rely on them or teach them to employ delaying tactics, especially when they are leading.
This is not good for the aspiring footballers as clubs are teaching the young boys — some of whom are younger than 10 years — how to cheat.
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Not only are the ball boys robbing the opposition of time of play but they are also robbing the genuine football fan the time he paid for to watch the game.
Frustrated by the actions of a ball boy sometime back, then Black Rhinos midfielder, Rowan Nenzou, attacked a ball boy who was employing delaying tactics when time was running out while his team was losing.
This is also true for football followers. Take for example, if these ball boys employ delaying tactics that take off 15 minutes from the 90 minutes of regulation time, this means the paying fan would have watched that game for only 75 minutes.
This trend has been growing by each season and the Zimbabwe Football Association and the Premier Soccer League should root out the problem before it becomes part and parcel of the Zimbabwean game.
Just like the way they deal with clubs that cause disruptions at matches, clubs whose ball boys behave in such a manner should be fined heavily or even have sterner disciplinary action — like losing points — taken on them.
Football fans pay their hard earned cash to watch the game for 90 minutes and not for 65 minutes. The ball boy is there to maintain the smooth flow of the game instead of disrupting it. It is as simple as that.
Teams should win fairly and cleanly. It is not for ball boys to influence results.
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