Violence in football has far reaching consequences. It sends people away from the stadia and discourages sponsors or partners that would develop the game to mention but a few. This is true for Uganda football looking at where we have come from.
We are into a new era where spectators and sponsors are slowly returning but at the same time violence and hooliganism have become rampant. For every match day, at least two games will end calamitously, either the match will be halted for some time due to fans indiscipline or it will eventually end in full-blown chaos. People are not safe anymore in the stands, on the roads and towns where league games are being played. This is a worrying trend in Ugandan football.
In 2012, SC Villa was expelled from Uganda Cup and fined heavily for their fans’ violent conduct in an aborted quarter final clash with URA FC at Lugazi which the hosts were leading 3-1 with 18 minutes to play. Villa fans directed their wrath to the match officials particularly linesman Sam Kayondo, pelting them with stones, which occasioned a stoppage after security personnel started firing to control the rowdy crowd. Two journalists, Emmanuel Ndugga, a sports reporter with the Red Pepper and Diego Nsubuga of Vision Group were seriously injured and rushed to Kawolo hospital.
November 2013 saw a bloody encounter in Buikwe when a league game between Vipers SC and SC Villa was abandoned after fourth official Ronald Kirangwa was stoned by Villa fans and suffered a head injury. Vipers fans then beat up their Villa counterparts. Consequently, Vipers fan Kitaka was banned for five years, Buikwe ground suspended indefinitely (it was later reopened) and the game was replayed on a neutral ground (Namboole).
In 2014/2015 season both league encounters between sworn rivals Express FC and SC Villa in Mityana and Wankulukuku respectively ended in abandonment after chaos erupted. In a strange turn of events, Villa was awarded the six points for their opponent’s failure to control the crowd (fans) home and away.
Elsewhere, In Kenya, giants Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards have been docked points this season over hooliganism. Nkana FC (Zambia) has also been at the center of fans indiscipline following their 1-0 defeat to Power Dynamos early September. While the 2016 Dar derby of Simba and Yanga (Tanzania) also was characterized with chaos. Simba SC was found culpable and fined USD2291. The two sides have since been banned from using the National Stadium.
This season in the Uganda Premier League, with just nine games played, JMC Hippos, Express and Lweza have been reprimanded for their fans exhibiting high levels of indiscipline and fined Uganda shillings three hundred thousand. Additionally, JMC official Matovu Abdullah was served a two-match ban and Express was ordered to play their next game without spectators.
Recently, defending champions KCCA were embroiled in chaotic scenes, with fans storming the pitch and assaulting match officials including the center referee after the club’s 1-1 draw with home side Kirinya-Jinja S.S. Match referee William Oloya had disallowed a contentious Derrick Nsibambi’s last minute header at Bugembe stadium. Oloya has since been slapped with a suspension for the remainder of the 2016/17 season by the FUFA Referees Standing Committee (FRSC). Katanguli Middu, a KCCA fan who rained punches on Oloya was banned from all league games for 365 days. While Kirinya Jinja S.S. has been fined 300,000 shillings for violent conduct of their fans. KCCA on the other hand whose fans also actively participated in the fracas have walked scot-free
These are just a few reported cases of violence and hooliganism where some punitive actions have been taken. However, there are several cases that have gone unnoticed.
Relatedly, there has been violence reported in the University League with Makerere, Kyambogo and MUBS being faulted on several occasions. There have also been isolated cases of hooliganism in the FUFA Big League which is a second-tier league.
This is a worrying trend in Ugandan football that needs urgent attention. However, curbing violence and related vices is faced with some challenges that need to be overcome; first, clubs do not have (or some have failed to implement) internal controls to regulate fans discipline.
FUFA and League organizers have weaker sanctions, for instance, a fine of Ugx. 300,000=, match bans and playing games without spectators as given out to indicted parties have not proved effective. On the other hand, there is no mechanism to enforce individual bans. We have seen fans and officials banned from attending games acting contrary without restraint, case in point Vipers Kitaka and JMC’s Matovu. FUFA and league organizers have failed to enforce such bans since they do not have control over stadium access (but rather clubs do).
Fans and club have developed a mob justice mentality on referees with a belief that their officiation is wanting or they are compromised to favor certain teams. Memories of Robert Donney single handedly mismanaging the 2015 Uganda Cup final between SC Villa and KCCA in Ntungamo dwindle in when the same person or the equivalent still appears as a match official on any match day.
A Section of fans are also trying to confuse violence with passion. But of course, this is not true since we all know there is a clear demarcation between the two.
Some of these violent acts are criminal cases, which need to be addressed as such but in many cases police has not brought these perpetrators and actors to book or is it that there is no one following up on these cases?
The way forward lies in clubs sensitizing members about these vices followed by building internal capacity to deal with indiscipline. Let the law take its course, prosecute those individuals that are found to be causing or participating in violence. It is equally important that we all add our voice to condemning violence and pledge to do whatever is in our means to stop it.
Lastly, to a fan and the club in general, there is nothing as painful as deduction of already hard-earned points. With the current trend of violence and hooliganism, such tougher sanction if imposed can deter the vices.
Elvis Ssekate
Ugandan football observer
Email: ssekate@gmail.com
Twitter: @essekate