OPINION: Chiefs’ fine is simply not enough

The Premier Soccer League’s latest monetary fine, imposed on Kaizer Chiefs following the unruly behaviour of their fans, in the aftermath of the recent 2-1 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns, is nothing but a slap on the wrist. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a substantial amount but in the bigger scheme of things, it’s a drop in the ocean. I expected the league’s prosecutor Zola Majavu to come down hard on the club in order to propel them to work even harder to stop this kind of behaviour.

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Regarded as the ‘peace loving nation’, Amakhosi fans are not living up to that mantra. They pelted match officials with water bottles and anything else they could get their hands on after Edson Castillo’s goal was ruled out.

Referee Sikhumbuzo Gasa had to run for cover after the final whistle as the missiles aimed in his direction continued to be launched from the stands. Given that Chiefs supporters are repeat offenders, the PSL DC was lenient on them and I expected the club to be ordered to play behind closed doors.

A fine of R100 000 with half of it being suspended is just not enough. In total, the Soweto giants will pay R150 000 and costs of the sitting. That is due to the outstanding fine of R100 000 from last season, which comes into effect after the latest transgression.  

While it can be argued that the fine is unfair on the club as fans have a responsibility to behave themselves during matches, I’m of the opinion that more can still be done to deter this kind of hooliganism. I know for a fact that Chiefs management have engaged their respective branches before the season started but the message clearly fell on deaf ears. 

I would like to see a joint collaboration between the club, stadium management and law enforcement where the culprits are brought to book. It’s not hard to identify troublemakers because they unashamedly break the law in front of the television cameras.

By now arrests should have been made in order to send a strong message that lawlessness will not be tolerated. There’s no space for violence in football or in any other part of society and it’s time for the law to take its cause.

I was at the game and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a pitch invader being tackled to the ground by security personnel, only to be led back into the crowd. There are clearly no consequences for unruly behaviour. In a case like that, the individual should have been led straight to a police van and charged for public violence and pitch invasion. 

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Another deterrent should be issuing stadium bans for perpetrators. Their names should be made public and they should be banned from going anywhere near a football stadium. I’m a father and I’ve never considered taking my children to a football match because of this constant misbehaviour, particularly in big matches.