I have watched my first live PSL match. It was glorious. Kaizer Chiefs took on Ajax Cape Town at Orlando Stadium and the atmosphere was electric. Thousands of fans wearing yellow poured into the stadium. It looked like a moving parade of Namaqualand daisies.

Everywhere I looked, fans were blowing vuvuzelas, singing or dancing.

I was proudly wearing my new Chiefs shirt and grinned like the Cheshire Cat at the nods of approval from fellow fans, who brandished peace signs while exclaiming “Amakhosi for life!”

As we made our way into the ground, a police officer glanced my way and, with a friendly smile, admonished: “Now, don’t you trash the stadium!”I had forgotten. Chiefs fans have a reputation for being an unruly bunch. A reputation, I believe, we deserve.

The same week I attended the match, I stumbled upon an article about a deranged tennis fan. It seems  some sports fans have as much self control as Pete Doherty let loose in Hillbrow. In 1993, Gunter Parche stabbed Monica Seles with a 25cm knife. Parche was a die-hard Steffi Graf fan and it later surfaced that he stabbed Seles in order for Graf to regain her number 1 world ranking.

  
My mind went back to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in the UK. Ninety-six Liverpool FC soccer fans lost their lives. An influx of thousands of fans caused those against the fence to be crushed. It’s terrifying to think that sport – something which is meant to unite and delight fans – can end so tragically.

So, despite my love for the team, I cannot defend Chiefs fans who trash stadiums and create an unnecessary ruckus.