Football fanaticism should be exploited for society’s good

Like many other people, I have spent the entirety of my life watching football. To those who loath football, it’s nothing more than a round piece of leather being kicked about by 22 grown men, but to fanatics, it is a matter of life and death. Football has the strong ability to determine someone’s mood. Ask any young fan of Rayon Sports about how he felt when his club lost to Police FC in last Saturday’s Peace Cup final. He probably lost appetite for dinner that evening. I know a lot of people who follow their teams religiously and will do several football-related things that seem too ritualistic - even an Orthodox Catholic would be jealous. To them, Arsenal or Manchester is the most important thing in their lives –and whether they admit it or not, their minds are totally preoccupied with formations, transfer rumors and club updates. I admit. To some extent I am a fanatic too. No one can fully explain how I ended up this way - not even myself. Supporting one club and hating another in equal measure is a matter of the heart entirely. Not logical. The same reason offered for falling in love with a girl at first sight also justifies this sort of infatuation for football. Surprisingly, fanaticism builds the highest level of faith and hope in an individual - so it’s not entirely a bad thing. That is why even if our national football team continues to under-perform; we are still faithful and hopeful that we shall be triumphant one day. Shortly after the end of last season’s national league football, Arsenal fans in Rwanda – who apparently operate an association – did some amazing stuff that every Rwandan would be proud of. In celebration of their FA Cup triumph this year, they raised funds among themselves and bought an unknown number of healthy goats which they donated to vulnerable families. In usual circumstances, these fans would only have wasted away in drunken celebrations and reckless fun-searching, which in every essence would have offered nothing but self-satisfaction. Manchester United fans found out about this act and got pretty green-eyed. Not only had a “local rival” won the FA Cup, they had also turned their successful season into an admirable cause for the community. Some Manchester United fans have secretly vowed to do whatsoever it takes to outdo this Arsenal act. Sooner or later, they will donate something bigger than goats. They will donate cows. Fat, nice looking Friesian cows! Now that’s some healthy rivalry. If every year football fanatics channeled their vigor to providing school fees for vulnerable youth, or pitching a few bricks onto a widow’s home, or supplying books to orphans, then culture would probably start to appreciate their “queer” behavior. The most horrible kind of fanaticism is that which is counterproductive – when all we do as fans is to drown in nothing but football, argue violently and drink senselessly. But when we begin to think beyond just football and more about giving back to society, people will start to accept us just the way we are. mugishaivan@yahoo.com

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Football fanaticism should be exploited for society’s good