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| National |
| BB fans riot costs millions |
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by
Mabvuto Banda, 20 October 2003
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19:16:00
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Bakili Bullets fans on Sunday embarrassed their sponsor President Bakili Muluzi when they went on rampage leaving 29 cars smashed, scores of people hospitalised, four Shire Buslines buses grounded, a PTC shop smashed and the Chichiri Shopping Mall shop and brick wall fence destroyed.
Ironically no arrests have been made.
By noon on Monday, Shire Bus Lines came out the worst hit. Chief Executive Humprey Mvula said they will have to cough up about K10 million (about $100,000) excluding duty and labour to replace two windscreens and other essentials lost in the damage to put the celebrated Paradiso coachline back on the road.
“The total cost will be huge because the Coachline is grounded now and those buses give us good revenue so we will be losing until its back on the road,” said Mvula.
The riot by the Bullet fans, whose team lost 3-1 to archfoes MTL Wanderers, according to officials will cost DVD Centre at Shoprite K300,000 in damages. Officials said insurance companies are still assessing the damages for the brick wall at Shoprite and PTC shop at Ginnery Corner.
But Muluzi in a statement shifted the blame from his team and accused some opposition elements of hiring hooligans to use soccer as an excuse to break the law.
Reacting to the presidential statement, National Democratic Alliance and MCP said Muluzi should blame himself for the chaos.
“This is want happens when you bring politics into football, he should blame himself, after all he has been trying to appease teams and fans,” NDA director of Publicity Salule Masangwi said.
MCP deputy publicity secretary Steve Chig’anga said investing in football is not bad but that there are some supporters that do not want to lose and take advantage of situations.
“That’s what happened. So it’s not true that it is opposition which was behind the chaos,” he said.
From the 29, police headquarters identified some cars which fell victim to the unruly fans. A Land Cruiser driven by Education Secretary Chrissie Mwiyeriwa, a Mitsubishi Pajero driven by Blantyre businessman Kalibwino Khoromana registration KK 4000, Edwin Jumas’s car registration NE 440, Sangwani Salimu registration BM 1207, Lameck Msembe’s MH 2610 among others had wind screens smashed.
An irate motorist who identified herself as Esther Maliro told Nation Online that her Mistubishi Colt was smashed around Universal Industries as her son was driving back home.
“Why should people suffer if one loses?” She said.
Bullets fans, who the police unidentified as unknown criminals, took to the streets and run rampage blocking the Highway from Blantyre to Limbe. When police finally managed to overpower them, the road lay littered with stones and glasses while the roads leading to Ndirande township had billboards ripped off in the fracas.
This is the second time fans have taken to the streets to smash cars in two months. In September, fans also took to the streets when the national team lost to Zimbabwe 2-1 in the Cosafa Cup first round final. |
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