When will Hooliganism and Tribalism end in our football?

Zimbabwe boats of the highest literacy rate in Africa with a record 96 %. This is a great achievement that gives any patriotic Zimbabwean something to smile about, regardless of the economic hardships that the country is facing.

The more educated a country’s population is, the more civilised it becomes and the less violent it is expected to behave.

However, it is unfortunate that we still have a four percent that it is illiterate. Having attended so many matches at across the country particularly at Barbour Fields, I am perplexed by the hooliganism and tribal hatred exhibited by some of our brothers.

 I have been forced to think that perhaps the government or football administrators need to re-introduce adult education for the sake of our brothers who are still illiterate for a reason that I am yet to establish.

It is a shameful to see that in this 21^st century, with Zimbabwe bragging of a 96% literacy rate, we still have some sections in society that  are still living in the medieval period, perhaps in the stone age period or that period of hunters and gatherers when tribal wars were fought for entertainment.

From the behaviours that I have witnessed among some of our bothers it’s a pity that tribalism still exists at our stadium and social networks which is now our platform for discussing spots news.

Perhaps you could forgive them if you only assume that they are part and parcel of the unfortunate 4% that happen to be illiterate.

For where in this world, in this 21^st century, in this global village would you find a normal human being with common sense holding a belief that Dynamos is a football club for Shonas or that Highlander is a football club for Ndebeles?

For where in this modern world would you find fans insulting each other on tribal basis  when football is known to be the best unifying sport across the word?

That Highlanders and Dynamos are simply Zimbabwean football clubs to which any Zimbabwean with his talent can showcase it through the teams is not known to them.

So confused is this section of fans that they don’t even know what it means to be Zimbabwean.

So backward are they that even from the player composition of the clubs they purport to support, which is a true testimony and reflection of unity in Zimbabwe, they still don’t see it and find themselves wrapped in the Stone Age era of throwing stones.

That a players like Bheki Ncube crossed from Highlanders to Dynamos and back to Highlanders at free will, that Masimba Mambare came from Motor Action to pay for Highlanders and a whole bunch of players you can think of who are from diverse backgrounds and plays for any team of their choice, is still a riddle wrapped in a mystery to them.

We can afford to forgive them, if we remind ourselves that we still have four percent illiterate population in our country.   We can afford to forgive them if we assume that this is the section that is causing mayhem at our in our football matches.

Even Jesus himself called for forgiveness of such people who are in darkness when he said, “forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”

For this reason, it is high time that football club owners, administrators and any stake holders involved should embark on supporter-education, the way voter education s conducted may be.

Tribalism in our sports must end, and t must end now, f you see yourself treating soccer in tribal manner, tell yourself that you are not yet  living in the 21 fist century.

David Makacha is a freelance Journalist; he can be conducted on dmakacha@gmail.com