BFA Denounces Unruly Fans
The Botswana Football Association (BFA) has strongly criticized the actions of Zebras fans who stormed the pitch last Saturday following the national football team's thrilling victory in the ongoing AFCON qualifiers against Libya. The incident occurred at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium, moments after the final whistle. Disregarding the barriers, jubilant fans flooded onto the field, unleashing an exuberant display of celebration. Some supporters even embraced the players and eagerly captured photographs of the unforgettable moment. It is worth noting that in 2019, international media outlets reported that the CAF disciplinary board imposed a hefty fine of US$10,000 on Ghana due to a similar pitch invasion by Ghanaian fans.
The BFA stands united in its condemnation of such unruly behavior, emphasizing the importance of respecting the integrity and rules of the game.
Pitch invasions has become frequent especially in top-level football matches. It has also happened at the first division final play offs game between VTM FC and Chadibe North FC at the Arena. Large number of people rushed into the pitch to celebrate VTM FC’s win, without allowing players to vacate the pitch first. It was also recorded this past weekend at the National stadium in Gaborone over the inaugural Clash of the Legends match between former Zebras and
Bafana Bafana players. Fans filled the stadium just after the final and went to the extent of taking pictures with players. Medal ceremony was called off because of this action as even the media struggled from conducting match interviews.
This week, BFA National Safety and Security Officer (NSSO), Jonas Msomi Ikgopoleng said BFA and CAF are seriously disturbed by these incidents. “I worked as NSSO since 2019 and Botswana was fined before, in September 06, 2015 match between Botswana and Burkina Faso. Zebras fans had invaded the pitch in Francistown (Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers). Supporters can invade the pitch by protesting or peaceful celebration and both are not allowed,” Ikgopoleng said.
According to Ikgopoleng, the punishment from Confederation of African Football (CAF) is severe depending on what happened during pitch invasion. Supporters may be banned from attending a match, or a team may be fined for failing to control its supporters. “We are putting measures in place to curb the situation, we need to engage clubs' Safety and Security Officers to engage their supporters through their branches to pass messages of the dangers that pitch invasion can cause to lives of players and invaders,” he stated.
“With Obed Itani Chilume Stadium, we intend to engage Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) to consider digging trenches in front of the stands in order to avoid supporters invading the pitch. This is due to the fact that the stadium is already constructed such that it is easy for fans to jump easily,” Ikgopoleng noted.
He added that they will also work on constantly reminding supporters of the cost of pitch invasion a team or a country may face from CAF. “The other issue is that a match is expensive to run, and when it comes to the safety and security of spectators, we need not compromise on that aspect by hiring private securities,” he mentioned.
For his part, the national men’s team Coach, Teenage Mpote said that invasion of the pitch by fans after the match is a serious offence that might lead to the nation charged by CAF. He advised supporters to contain their excitement and put the safety of players first.
“It is completely understandable that sometimes emotions run high but they could have celebrated it differently; next time they should do better, players safety is top priority,” Mpote said. He says that it's high time supporters be reminded of the laws surrounding the beautiful game especially on how to behave during and after international matches.