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Lucky: No place for 'hooligans'

Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi has called on the supporters' branch chairman to clamp down on the "hooligans" who have brought the club's name into disrepute.

According to the Football411 website, certain sections of The Ghost, as Pirates' fans are known, have behaved disgracefully this season, resorting to violence and vandalism when certain results have not gone their way.

The supporters' actions have led to numerous PSL Disciplinary Committee charges brought against the Soweto giants, and Lekgwathi insists enough is enough.

However, the former Bafana Bafana defender admits it is only a small section of the fans responsible for the unsavoury scenes, and that he saw the best from the club's followers during their CAF Champions League win over TP Mazembe at the weekend.

"From all these years I have been playing football, I got to understand fans a lot better after we won our match against TP Mazembe," he told the club's official website.

"Not so long ago we were victims of cruelty by some supporters who resorted to violence when we failed to win our match against AmaZulu in Durban. That was of course not the best way to react to our failure to win that match as we have at the club and in the PSL, proper channels for fans to address their frustrations etc.

"During that incident, I could see that the true Pirates supporters were not the ones that actually pushed or resorted to such behaviour and I call on all the Supporters' Branch Chairman to be on the alert for those hooligans who want to furnish the image of the club by resorting to violence when a particular result does not go our way.

"We do not need violence in football - it is not good for us players, it is not good for the country, and it is not good for the viewers at home who take part of their precious time to watch our games with their families.

"I am glad that our win over TP Mazembe restored some sort of faith in us by the supporters - moments before that match, I anticipated an empty stadium, but to my surprise folks came out in numbers and I thank God that we did not disappoint them.

"Of course our return leg in Congo will be a great battle to fight but we have no options but to win the tie and advance in the competition."

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