Bosso urge fans to desist from violence ahead of clash with DeMbare

The Highlanders FC’ executive has urged its supporters to avoid violence at all costs on Sunday as the Bulawayo giants take on their all time rivals Dynamos FC.

Bosso are scheduled to play DeMbare at their fortress stadium Barbourfields (BF) in Bulawayo at the weekend.

The kick off time is 3pm.

This will be the second time the two teams are clashing in the space of one month.

They first played each other during the Presidential Independence Trophy on 18 April at the same venue (BF).

Bosso won the match with a narrow 1-0 victory courtesy of Stanley Ngala’s second half wonderfully taken strike.

However, Sunday’s game will be the first leg of a two legged 2021/22 league campaign fixture.

The intriguing match dubbed as the Battle of Zimbabwe pitting the two most supported teams in the country is definitely a crowd puller and it usually ends in violence.

Albeit, this time the Bosso hierarchy has, few days before the match day, pleaded with its ‘beloved’ fans to refrain from violence.

The message encouraging the fans to ‘say no to hooliganism’ was conveyed through a statement issued by the club’s Secretary General Morgen Dube on Tuesday.

“I hope I find you all in good standing as we prepare for the big grand stage of the Zimbabwe Football this Sunday 15 May 2022 at the Highlanders FC Spiritual home, eMagumeni.

“The Highlanders Leadership would like to invite all its facets of fans to come in numbers with their families, friends and associates to support and encourage their Team to complete a double within a month over our fiercest competitor in National Football, Dynamos FC.

“This is also a passionate plea to our fans to be hospitable to our visitors and ourselves in hosting them in and outside the Stadium and Bulawayo City in general.

“Passion, respect and love is the cornerstone of our 96 years of existence and should be cherished and remembered this Sunday as we host Dynamos in our first leg of the League season 2022,” reads part of the statement.

Further reads the statement: “We note with concern a few individuals purporting to be Football Fans inciting violence in the name of Highlanders a practice clearly not synonymous with our Culture.

“This should be condemned with the contempt it deserves and urge all Highlanders and Football fraternity to identify and eliminate such minds from near our Club.

“Meanwhile the Highlanders executive is seized with finding an immediate but lasting solution to the bad patch that Team is going through.

“We acknowledge the anxiety that this lean spell has caused to our Members and Fans and are equally concerned and want to promise you all that we are about to find and implement what we believe will heal us all and turn around the fortunes of this Institution we call our Heritage. We Thank You!”

The secretary general’s plea comes at a time the club is struggling to produce positive results that are anticipated by their supporters.

Highlanders are lying slightly above the relegation zone with 16 points from 13 games they have played so far.

They have a game against FC Platinum which was abandoned owing to violence a fortnight ago and it is still pending the PLS’s judgement.

Bosso’s current situation has left a section of their faithfuls disgruntled, calling the club’s executive to show head coach Mandla ‘Lulu’ Mpofu the exit door.