Football is a sport that gives joy to people who are involved in it, be it the Players, Fans, Coaches, Medics, and even viewers worldwide. This same sport also comes with pain when the outcome doesn’t go your way.
However, the way a loss or a bad football outcome is managed and processed by individuals involved in the game is very crucial and it shows how safe the sport can be. Normally, players can get angry at the outcome, coaches and fans can also show the same feeling, but controlling your emotions is a very vital skill all should acquire.
The Beginning of Violence
Early in football’s history, there were events and cases of match abandonment and disturbances both in our local league and abroad. Abroad cases include match ups like Manchester United vs Leeds United, Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspurs, AC Milan vs Inter Milan, Paris Saint Germain vs Olympique Marseille and so on. Games like these contained high levels of violence, anger, and dangerous tackles and lunges. Most times the games and up being postponed or abandoned maybe due to fans invasion or a never stopping fight-scene.
So many years later, football bodies of the different abroad competitions have produced proper measures to curb the level of violence in competitions. We now see less of violence and more of football in the abroad setting, and it has boosted its marketability status, as most football fans choose to watch those foreign competitions rather than local ones.
Still exists in the local league?
This brings us to the main issue at hand; Local league Violence. Same as in the foreign setting, violence in our local league (NPFL) was present in its early history. Especially in local derby clashes which most times end in blood affairs. Yes, we all agree it was the olden times where there weren’t proper measures to prevent violent actions in the game, that is understood. However, for scenes like that to still be a constant figure in our modern league is nothing to write home about.
The League Management Company (LMC) seem to be failing this generation of local league players and viewers. They are finding it hard to create effective measures to reduce or curb the level of violence in the league. Most youths and teens prefer to sit at home or go to viewing centers to watch foreign competitions rather than go to the local stadium close to them to watch NPFL games due to the lack of safety and security in those stadiums. If Nigerians find it hard to support their local clubs without being harmed, assaulted, or bullied then what’s the essence of the league’s existence.
The local league has lost value through the years and there is not a single hint that it will skyrocket any time soon.
Some work done? A good platform
Although, some credit has to be given to the LMC for some punishments created to punish conduct violators. For example, a game in the 2023/24 season involving Enugu Rangers vs Enyimba ended in a very sad and violent manner with just a few minutes to the end of the game. With the game heading for a tie, the center referee awarded a penalty to the hosts (Rangers).
The decision ended up brutally rejected and protested by players of Enyimba which led to incitement among the away team fans. These fans didn’t let the decision stand, instead they took to the field and disrupted the game. They performed all sorts of violent acts in the field that players of the home team had to run back into their team’s dressing room.
It was a very bad marketing of the local league on a day where it received loads of praises for large turnout in the stands. The League Management Company punished all figures involved in the incitement of the fracas and figures involved in the fracas itself. Large amounts of fines were imposed on the away sides and players faced suspensions. This type of action is a positive one considering the level of the league and where it intends to get to.
A league without persistent violence? Possible!
At this stage, the local league should be an institution where every old, young, and vibrant fan should venture in and be solidly rooted in. Of course, we can do better. I am sure the league board are looking for ways to reduce the rate of violence in the local game. If this is accomplished, the local league would take a good step, bringing the league to a proper shape for positive marketing and the league can get to the highest of levels.
I hope you stayed tuned in and connected from start to finish of this article. I also hope you enjoyed reading through. You can find other posts on this website through the following links:
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