Throw hooligans in jail
If FAM, Sulom and its stakeholders who suffered their way into that Chiwembe Technical Centre humid Thursday night needed proof that their energies were misplaced, three latest editions of violence have provided it in abundance.
A day after that night gave birth to that ill-conceived memorandum of understanding (MoU) last month, violence flared at Kamuzu Stadium.
Last week, again violence reared its head at Zomba Community Centre ground on Saturday followed by the same at Balaka Stadium on Sunday. Violence at every stadium, violence everywhere.
Look, it is a folly of the highest order for FAM and Sulom to attempt to arrest violence through an MoU when the police hardly make arrests when such incidents occur, but tears-gas all their way back to their stations.
The football authorities need to be told that they have no mandate dealing with hooligans for not only do they lack capacity but their job is to administer football and not handling criminals such as hooligans.
Now, where are we with that MoU when violence is refusing to die? I recently wrote that implementation is the major weakness facing the domestic game. This lifeless and toothless MoU further proves that.
It is only after the law has taken its course and the hooligans are in the cooler that FAM and Sulom can step in on the criminals by extending the sanctions through bans from football activities as is the case elsewhere.
If players and coaches assault referees or ball boys, that is a police matter. Sulom and FAM can only come in with additional punishments; otherwise, fining teams and compensating the injured party can hardly deter would-be offenders.
Imagine what would have been happening if all criminals were only being punished through fines and signing some MoUs? People would be committing multiple offences knowing they will pay for their mischief.
The fact that an assault, violence and hooliganism has occurred in some stadium does not make it a lesser offence that should turn FAM and Sulom into courts of law.
Yes, Fifa discourages taking football matters to courts of law, but violence, assault and hooliganism have no place in football.
