This Bingu National stadium facility is susceptible not to be durable as we are told so.
The facility on its opening day had various equipment such as cables, taps, pipes and screws stolen. What a way to welcome the stadium.
And in one of the Blantyre derby encounters, the managers of the stadium had issued a press release vehemently complaining of the teams failure to ponder on care of the facility. This was after they had found fetish materials like needles, razor blades, cloth placed under the grass at the time the teams had just completed their warm ups ahead of kick offs.
Months ago, media reports indicated, BNS had no electricity as it had not yet settled hefty bills with Escom. Rumours about cut water supply also came riffle. I had seen a post in one of football groupings here on Facebook complaining of blocked and stinking lavatories at the stadium. This is bad.
While, that is placed aside, the stadium has seen miscellaneous acts of violence while have led to destruction of property.
Last time out, Bullets supporters protested against having two goals disallowed for offside against Wanderers. They threw bottles onto the pitch.
The same happened yesterday after a stoppage time penalty by Stewart Mbunge won the Airtel Top 8 cup for Blue Eagles against the People team.
While this happened, both teams had its supporters throng the pitch. Pure pitch invasion. The police and stewards were all but overpowered by the fans some of whom targeted the referee while the others joined the Area 30 side in their usual military win celebration bagging home the 15 Million Kwacha cup prize.
The stadium was nearly filled by say around 1000 people. From the stands came bottles flying like kites- you would never look at the skies without a glance of a bottle.
The entire pitch was nearly surrounded by bottles and stones. The stadium we say we cherish so much and that we would want to use for as many years as possible.
We had its windows stolen on its opening day; we are not patronising games hosted there, such that the management fails to even pay water and electricity bills; we are filling the pitch in pure pitch invasion incidents; we have turn it into a plastic bottle recycling site- but all we feel is we want it to stay longer as possible.
While, Airtel pleaded with the media not to give the violence in the final huge frames and primes, its important for authorities to brainstorm on the incidents that posit with the facility an unprecedented threat.
Perhaps fans should also learn to accept the results of the game.
Joseph Dumbula-Blog 