ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa, riled by the mayhem that marred the Premiership showdown between Highlanders and Dynamos at Barbourfields, has vowed to crack down on hooliganism and revealed he will be thorough in dealing with the scourge of violence in domestic football.

Chiyangwa said this while awaiting the respective sub-committees that handle such matters to deal with the incidents that caused a premature end to the epic Battle of Zimbabwe clash.

He said his association would not tolerate a scenario where certain venues become no-go areas for football. The ZIFA boss said while it would be premature for him to discuss any possible decision before the relevant reports had been brought to him, he felt it prudent to warn the hooligans to “stay away from football venues.’’

“I am not in a position to comment much at the moment, but what I can promise is that we are going to be thorough in dealing with this problem. “Bulawayo cannot be a no-go area in as far as football is concerned,’’ Chiyangwa said.

The Harare property mogul was last week appointed to the CAF Nations Cup organising committee, also noted that one of his new roles at the continental body included “assessing the security and suitability of a place to host football matches.

“So it has to start with us at home here . . . we are going to be thorough on violence and it’s not just in Bulawayo, but any other venue. I am not going to tolerate a situation where Zimbabwe is going to be sore sight for football. No one forces hooligans to come to the stadium, they must just stay at their homes,’’ Chiyangwa said.

Chiyangwa’s stern warning came as the Premier Soccer League summoned Highlanders to a disciplinary hearing next week for the behaviour of their fans.

The PSL also urged Highlanders to find ways to rein in on unruly elements among their supporters after the Bulawayo giants were charged for the ugly scenes that caused the abandonment of the match against traditional rivals Dynamos.

While the fate of the match is yet to be decided, Bosso are set to face the music for the bad behaviour of their supporters which caused the premature end of the blockbuster clash.