Though somewhat rhetorical, it’s necessary at this point in time to remind each other what football really is.
Football is a game played on a field, in which two teams of eleven players use their bodies to fight for the ball and move it around with the intention of scoring goals and winning matches.
Famously coined ‘the most beautiful game’, football is easily the most popular sport in the world played by over 250 million players in over 200 nations.
And over the years there have emerged those who do the most to take the beauty of the game, turning it into a circus by annihilating the very soul of the sport, which is the spirit of fair play and integrity.
The Northern Region Soccer League title race between Scottland and MWOS, which many predicted would go down to the wire, eventually went to the boardroom and was decided there.
A thrilling title race degenerated into laughing stock by accusation and counteraccusations of bribery and match fixing while in the end there were two separate championship celebrations by two different clubs.
Scottland were officially crowned champions after dispatching police side Black Mambas 3-1 at Rufaro Stadium on Friday, to the delight of their ever-growing fan base.
This was in spite of the fact that there was an appeal by Karoi United against the ruling of their abandoned game awarded to Scottland. The Pedzai ‘Scott’ Sakupwanya-owned side finished the season on 87 points, two clear of second-placed MWOS, who edged Agama 1-0 at Ngoni Stadium in Norton.
Interestingly, the Martin Kweza-led Northern Region Soccer League administration never left room for the possibility that MWOS would win the title despite just two points separating the two rivals with one game remaining.
Meanwhile, MWOS FC celebrated their final day win with T– shirts inscribed 2024 Northern Region Soccer League Champions.
And with Zifa acknowledging receipt of Karoi United’s appeal it means Scottland are no longer champions, at least for now and it would be embarrassing for the NRSL should the Zifa appeals committee rule in favour of the Karoi-based side.
It means MWOS FC will become the bonafide champions.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association would like to inform you that your letter has been duly noted. The appeals committee is provisionally scheduled to sit on the 14th of November 2024 at 11:00 hrs.
“Should you wish to submit any further materials, please do so before the set date. We have also written to the Northern Region requesting the record of proceedings,” Zifa general secretary Yvonne Mapika Manwa wrote to Karoi United yesterday.
Shockingly on Friday the Northern Region Soccer League leadership organised a trophy presentation for Rufaro only, as if they concluded with certainty that Mambas would never beat Scotland or force a draw against the Mabvuku-based side.
Had Mambas gotten a positive result, how were Kweza and company going to drive to Norton and prepare their stage for a trophy presentation, yet nothing of that sort was communicated and prepared in advance, at Ngoni?
“They never spoke to us concerning the possibility of there being a trophy presentation had we won and Scottland dropped points,” said MWOS chairman Clayton Arimoso.
“In fact, no one from the Northern Region was present for our game against Agama, it’s as if they were very sure Scottland was never going to drop points,” added Arimoso.
While that debate can go on until the cows come home, what’s not debatable is the fact that it’s not the win over Mambas which erroneously crowned Scottland champions but the judgment for their abandoned match against Karoi United which has since been overtaken by events.
The match, played at Chikangwe Stadium on September 15 and abandoned in the 88th minute with both sides level at 1-1, was awarded to the visitors on a 3-0 scoreline after the hosts were 'found guilty' of causing its abandonment.
This judgment had injustice written all over it.
Some of the issues that arise include the fact that the referee left the field to go to the dressing room according to point #12 in the report without instructing the teams to do so since that's the procedure.
In the report, the referee claims the fan who threw a missile was seated in the stand housing fans wearing blue and white and claiming they were Karoi United fans but not sure if they also considered that Scottland wears blue and white as well.
The match commissioner also said that he was pelted by fans wearing yellow and claimed they were the home fans, but forgot that Scottland has a yellow kit again.
The report mentions hard objects being hurled at the referee but the match commissioner upon quizzing said they were water bottles on point number 16 so the question is which missile was used ?
Lack of consistency should lead to all this being thrown away as it gives the disciplinary committee lack of integrity in their handling of the issue
The referee also abandoned the match in consultation with the MC according to point 18 but the laws of the game say that the managers of both teams have to be part of the consultations before the match is abandoned.
In point 27 of the report the match commissioner says he was alternating from dressing rooms and pitch meaning the situation was only bad for the referee and not for the other stakeholders like players and others who remained on the pitch.
If indeed there was violence to the effect that a match can be abandoned then how did the players remain on the pitch and not be instructed to retreat to the dressing rooms as per the norm?
There are many other inconsistencies in the report that render the judgement grossly unfair to Karoi United.
One can only hope that the Appeals Committee will deliver justice and save the credibility of football in Zimbabwe as a whole.