Stabbing of Arsenal fan

Posted to the Web: Wednesday, February 14, 2007



FOOTBALL fanaticism took a bizarre dimension in Adeniji-Adele area of Lagos Island when an angry fan rammed the full length of a knife into the skull of another fan. Hakeem Salami, a Bolton Wanderers supporter stabbed Sodiki Anjorin, 26, an amateur footballer and ardent fan of Arsenal of London on the head with a knife.

“It was on that fateful day (30 January 2007) when Arsenal and Bolton were playing. The first half, Bolton were leading before Arsenal drew level. Hakeem, my assailant was happy and he was making mockery of me. I did not say anything to him even though I was not happy but was praying that my own team, Arsenal would equalise. As God would have it, Arsenal equalised. I too started laughing and boasting,” said Sodiki, who was operated at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, where he is recuperating from a successful oral and maxillo-facial surgery.

According to him, Hakeem threw live charcoal from a nearby suya seller at him which he dodged but, “something drove into my head. That was all I knew.”
How can the love of a foreign club - or anything for that matter - make a fan go to such extreme? The police are still after Hakeem. The charged atmosphere at locations where Nigerian football fans gather to watch English Premiership and European Super League matches should be of concern to the authorities. These fans disturb the peace of people living in such areas with their noisy arguments and celebrations that can go on for days. Anyone who opposes them is attacked.

Last year in Ojota, Lagos, rival fans fought each other for days after a European Championship game. Property, some of which did not belong to the brawling parties, were destroyed, people were injured, including passers by.

It is baffling that supposed sports fans can descend to criminality in the name of supporting their teams. Sports should not attract fans, who hide under supportership to inflict wickedness on others.

The increasing followership that foreign clubs enjoy among the youths of this country might be a fallout of high rate of unemployment in the nation. The youth turn to football fanaticism for want of something worthwhile to engage them. More than football goes on - there is betting, high consumption of alcohol and some of these fellows are always armed, in anticipation of being attacked too.

It is a manifestation of failure on the part of government that hundreds of thousands of these youth are unemployed and waiting for opportunities to express their anger at the system. If they are busy enough, they would be too far spent to have the time and energy for criminal activities under the guise of supporting a sports team.

The authorities have to do something urgently to curb this new wave of hooliganism before it spreads. The availability of satellite broadcast of these matches could mean that more ugly incidents are on the way, if not checked.

In the interim, it would be the duty of parents, teachers, religious and community leaders to keep explaining to the youth that their future cannot be adversely affected if their team loses a game, the result of which is not dependent on these arguments that turn violent