What is wrong with our sports fans?

 IN hindsight having the National Soccer League final in Lae over the weekend was probably not a good idea. 

Given the previous instances of aggression and intimidation directed at Hekari United players and their fans by locals, the NSL board’s decision for Lae to host its first final was a risky one. 

The end result was that the match was called off midway through the second half with Hekari leading 3-0 and as such they were awarded the final and their ninth straight premiership. 

Unfortunately the circumstances of their achievement will leave a bitter taste in the mouth. There was no time for the winners to celebrate what is perhaps a feat that will not be unsurpassed for years in Papua New Guinea soccer annals. 

It was a sad day not just for a champion team but  for the many genuine soccer fans that live in Lae. 

Sports is about celebrating accomplishments, the end of the road, just as much as getting there is acknowledged. 

According to our sources, the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium was packed to capacity (at least 6,000) as local soccer fans and no doubt some from Port Moresby came to watch the country’s two premier soccer clubs clash for the title. 

It is not every day a sport like soccer can pull in several thousand paying customers to a big game. One would think the organisers would do everything in their power to make sure that things ran smoothly. 

If a venue and town has history of aggressive and rowdy crowd behaviour then those responsible for organising the match must take the necessary precautions. 

Will the majority of fans, who were just there to enjoy the match, be willing to turn to the next game? 

It all had to be spoiled by a minority, who has been allowed time and again to sabotage the competition, particularly in that city. 

The NSL board and organisers of the final had a duty of care to ensure the safety of the players, officials and the fans. 

They failed the players by not identifying potential threats and cordoning off areas that could not be properly secured. 

Having a player pelted with stones is the cheapest of shots and it must not be repeated. 

But saying Lae is the epic enter of fan unrest is untrue. It is just one of several and just happens to be in the spotlight. 

Venues in Port Moresby, Wabag, Mt Hagen, Goroka and Kundiawa have had similar experiences over the years, mostly when hosting rugby league matches. 

In fact, some of the worst instances of fan violence have occurred in rugby league. 

Last year two men were killed and three cars burned when in a Digicel Cup match in Wabag between Enga and Lae turned nasty. Mt Hagen experienced a situation where fans invaded the pitch during a Hagen Eagles home game and proceeded to assault Eagles players!  

Our sports fans in general are a passionate and vocal lot when they want to be but there is always one or two who act as agent provocateurs to use the mob’s emotional energy to turn to violence and rowdy behaviour especially when the home side or, in some instances, the team with the most fans at the venue are not happy with the way the game is going or the way the referee is managing the play.  

Fans in this country certainly have not learned to control their behaviour. In other parts of the world, in Australia for example, the incidence of fan violence and flare ups is kept to a minimum because of great security and game day management plans, people’s attitudes to violence and hooliganism and the culture. 

In Papua New Guinea fan misbehaviour has always been a problem, especially in sports were the support is both large and parochial and the crowds are passionate about their teams. 

What kind of an example is this for the next generation of fans and players? With the Pacific Games next year and the rise of the Hunters, one would hope that home fans would learn some control and tolerance. 

If they could just learn to respect the contest for its entertainment and value as a spectacle and not see poor refereeing calls and poor performance as a reason to fight then would that not help create a environment where players and officials can focus on producing their best? 

In PNG it seems to be the other way around where those on the field play knowing they have to perform as expected or they risk being attacked. 

Is that how sports should be played?