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Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
THE 2017 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League was watched by 15 000 fewer spectators compared to 2016.

PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele told guests at the Castle Lager Soccer Stars awards last Friday that 426 000 paying fans attended matches this year compared to 441 000 in 2016.

Ndebele attributed the drop in attendance to violence, hooliganism, poor match organisation and poor infrastructure, which he said was still of concern to the league.

“To have one of the league’s flagship matches between Highlanders and Dynamos abandoned in the first half of the season due to crowd disturbances is bad advertisement for our football,” said Ndebele.

“Millions of television viewers across the world had to endure what football must not be. Challenges such as collapsing of goal posts and pitch invasions have to be solved through strict implementation of club licensing.”

He urged fans to shun acts that tarnish the league’s reputation, saying the advancement of football requires a collaborative effort from all stakeholders.

Ndebele called on the football community to join the PSL in promoting the sport to realise their objective of making football more than just a game.

He said the expanded league of 18 teams saw a total of 306 matches being played compared to the previous season’s 240 matches.

There were 620 goals scored in the 2017 season; an increase of 170 from last season’s 450.

He paid tribute to sponsors Delta Beverages for their trust and confidence in the PSL brand, as the league celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.

“Through your support, we have been able to deliver thoroughly entertaining football to fans across the country. We are also grateful to you for sponsoring the Castle Challenge Cup, which was the highlight of our Silver Jubilee celebrations.”

Meanwhile, Delta Beverages marketing director Maxen Karombo has called for a change in the selection process of the referee of the year following questionable selections over the years.

Karombo said selection must be opened to a wider panel instead of the status quo whereby the Zifa Referees Committee chooses the top three match officials.

“We need to address the anomaly in the selection of the referee of the year. While soccer stars and coach of the year are selected by a wider panel, the referees are selected by the Zifa Referees Committee. We are of the view that the selection should be conducted by a wider panel, which, in fact, comprises customers of the referees’ service,” said Karombo.

Ruzive Ruzive was named referee of the year to murmurs of disapproval by the audience, which felt he was undeserving.

Nomore Musundire was the first runner-up, while Luckson Mhara was named second runner-up.

Karombo also urged clubs to improve on crowd management, saying they should engage marshals that can partner law enforcement agents.

He said each football club in the league must have an inclusive approach to managing its fan base.

“Football is a passionate game, high in emotion and quickly expressed in vented frustrations. We need to see safety marshals picked from the clubs’ fans, who can work with law enforcement agents to control potentially explosive situations.

“We cannot allow Barbourfields Stadium to be turned into a war zone whenever Highlanders and Dynamos meet or Mandava Stadium to explode whenever there is a high-profile match. Football has to make a step change in managing crowd trouble; each chairman/president of a club must take personal responsibility for the safety of the fans,” Karombo said.

He also urged clubs to engage in marketing campaigns to grow their fan base as every sponsor’s dream is a stadium filled to capacity.

Full stadiums allow the brand messaging to be received by a wider audience thereby increasing return on investment for sponsors.

Karombo told clubs to be flexible with pricing, merchandising and team visibility in the community to attract a huge fan base.

He also condemned coaches that dodged post match interviews, saying it is a serious breach of the sponsorship contract between Delta and the PSL.

Karombo said they had noted instances where coaches of top clubs refused to speak to the media after games and indicated that they would not tolerate such behaviour as it puts the sponsorship continuity at risk.

Former champions Caps United’s coach Lloyd Chitembwe is the most notorious dodger, preferring to send his assistant Fungai Tostao Kwashi.