Nkana Football Club’s sponsors have issued a firm warning to the club’s supporters, declaring that acts of violence and misconduct will not be tolerated—whether at home or away matches.
International Resources Holding (IRH), the majority shareholder of Mopani Copper Mines PLC, delivered the message through Gareth Taylor, IRH Director of Operations, during the recent Mindset Change Programme for Nkana supporters held in Kitwe.
Taylor emphasized that the shareholder group will neither support nor condone any form of supporter violence, urging fans to align with the club’s values and uphold the spirit of fair play.
“Violence and bad behavior are not acceptable — and they should not be acceptable to you,” Taylor said. “They are certainly not acceptable to Mopani. And as the representative of IRH, I can tell you, we will not tolerate it. We will not be part of it. It’s very important we have success here.”
He acknowledged the difficulty of managing a large and passionate fan base during high-stakes matches.
Nkana, one of Zambia’s most supported clubs, has seen some of its matches overshadowed by fan violence, with the most recent incident occurring during the Kitwe derby against Power Dynamos, where some fans vandalized seats at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
The club was ordered by the government to cover the cost of repairing 2,300 seats that were previously damaged at the stadium after the club was held responsible for the damage caused to 506 seats during the Kitwe derby.
“On any matchday, how many Nkana supporters are there? 10,000? 11,000, maybe even more,” Taylor said. “How do you get 11,000 people with all that excitement and passion to behave correctly? It’s not easy, especially when the referee allegedly makes a bad decision.”
He encouraged fans to adopt values of respect and understanding, even in difficult moments.
“We are all human. We will make mistakes, and we will have challenges. But violence is never the answer,” he added.
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