The Premier Soccer League (PSL) match between Highlanders and Dynamos was abandoned over the weekend when Bosso fans invaded the pitch in protest of the referee’s decision to not award a penalty to their team. The match was halted with Dynamos leading 2-0.
The newly-elected Mayor of Bulawayo, David Coltart, has expressed concern regarding the pitch invasion and has called for peace. Coltart who is a former Minister of Primary and Secondary Education said:
I’m concerned about the incident at Barbourfields yesterday. It’s critical that all responsible football & political leaders act responsibly to understand the underlying emotions behind the incident & address them fairly. Bulawayo is a peaceful city & we need to keep it that way.
According to academic Ibbo D Mandaza, the incident at Barbourfields reflects a lack of leadership in the country. He emphasized that it highlights the challenges faced in building a strong national consciousness and calls for courageous and visionary leaders, which he believes have been absent historically. He said:
The incident at Barbourfields today: a sign of the pitfalls of national consciousness; a call for brave and visionary leadership. We don’t have it, we have never had it.
Former Cabinet Minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo, praised the Zimbabwe Republic Police for showing restraint while trying to handle the situation at Barbourfields Stadium. He described the incident as another instance of football hooliganism. He said:
FOOTBALL HOOLIGANISM once again reared its ugly head at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo today following the abandonment of a high-stakes and tension-filled match between Highlanders and Dynamos in the first half, when Bosso fans invaded the pitch and ran amok, causing mayhem, after the referee declined a penalty claim from Highlanders who were trailing Dynamos by two goals to zero. The @PoliceZimbabwe exercised commendable restraint, as they battled to contain the potentially explosive situation that ensued; and managed to avert a flare-up of gratuitous violence, amid deplorable attempts by political vultures who shamelessly sought to politicise the ugly football hooliganism on social media platforms, during and after the fact!
Richard Tsvangirayi, the newly-elected Member of Parliament for Norton, strongly criticized the pitch invasion and stated that it exemplifies the deep divisions within Zimbabwe. Richard Tsvangirayi, son of the late opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, called for true leadership that promotes unity among the people. He said:
What transpired today at Barbourfields Stadium deserves all the condemnation. The incident was a clear indication of how divided our country is. We need real leadership that knows how to foster unity among our people.
Rutendo Matinyarare, a supporter of ZANU PF, emphasised the need to eliminate this unsportsmanlike conduct, as it can result in unnecessary loss of life. He said:
BARBOURFIELDS REMINDED ME OF 9 JULY 2000. 8 July 2000, I drove from Joburg to watch Bafana Bafana playing the Zimbabwe warriors. At 81 minutes, Delron Buckley scored the second goal to dash Zimbabwe’s hopes of advancing to the World Cup Final. Immediately, bitter Zimbabwean fans began to throw bottles at him and mayhem broke out in the Stadium. Zimbabwean law and order police responded swiftly by throwing teargas into the fan filled stands to protect the players, and with the gas choking and blinding us, we found ourselves running out of the stadium for the exists. On getting to the exist points of the stadium, we were pushed and pressed against the inner perimeter fence by the crowd as we tried to get out. Many fell and were crushed to death right there at that gate. My mind was brought back to this horrific experience, yesterday as I saw Highlanders fans storming the pitch like savages. This overzealous unsportsmanlike behavior that sometimes grips Zimbabweans over football, should be stamped out of Zimbabwean psyche because it causes loss of life for just a mere game.
ZANU PF Youth League criticised CCC leaders for insinuating a political motive behind the pitch invasion. They stated the invasion was due to a referee’s decision, not politics. They condemned the invasion and dismissed attempts to exploit it for political gain, emphasizing it was a soccer match incident. They said:
The desperation on the Opposition Ranks is legendary. Yesterday, a referee refused to award a penalty to a Highlanders Player at Barbourfields after being fouled by a Dynamos Player. Naturally, fans got irritated and invaded the pitch, which is wrong and a trend at BF. However, political arrivalists are now pretending that pitch invasion is because of political developments in the country and seek to present what happened yesterday as revolutionary. We respect sports and gullible people should not try to draw useless parallels with our politics. There is no need to take a political decision or viewpoint on what happened yesterday, merely a soccer match gone bad. Clearly Dynamos was playing Better foootball and it would have been interesting to see how it would have ended. Bosso fans also invaded the pitch even before elections in Zimbabwe. Trying to ride on the hooliganism of a handlful of fans is desperate.
Matigari, a ZANU PF supporter, condemned the hooliganism displayed by Highlanders fans at Barbourfields Stadium. He assured that those responsible would face consequences without bias. He said:
Highlanders hooliganism at Barbourfields, Every hooligan will be accounted for without fear or favour. Don’t cry amaihwe.
Ntate Mdluli dismissed any link between the Barbourfields incident, CCC, politics, or tribalism, stating it was a result of poor officiating. He called attempts to connect it to politics desperate. Mdluli added:
So those trying to link disorderly conduct at a soccer match & politics are desperate.
Vahombe accused newly-elected Member of Parliament, Gift Ostallos Siziba, of inciting violence through a social media post. He claimed that Siziba’s post led to violence at Barbourfields Stadium during a match between Dynamos and Highlanders. Vahombe stated that Siziba and other CCC members posing as soccer fans would be apprehended and face legal consequences.
Opinions were divided on the penalty incident. Some believed it was a penalty while others believed it was not a penalty due to the defender’s actions, the striker’s theatrical fall, and the lack of protest from a nearby teammate. Some said the referee appeared to have a clear view, while others stressed the importance of letting referees perform their duties without fan interference.
Highlanders Football Club has issued a statement denouncing the pitch invasion that took place. The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has likewise condemned the violence, highlighting that it constitutes a severe offence that can lead to penalties for the clubs involved.
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