Kenya: Oguda Condemn Fracas Between Gor Mahia and Ulinzi

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Muigai Kiguru

20 May 2011

Kenya Premier League CEO Jack Oguda has condemned Thursday night’s incident where Gor Mahia fans went on the rampage in their Top 8 semifinal final clash against Ulinzi Stars, citing poor officiating. “It’s a pity that the fans reacted this way since the players were willing to play and were actually on the road to recovery,” said Ogunda. Mike Baraza had put Ulinzi in the driving seat in the 38th minute.

The match was abandoned on the hour mark when centre referee Sylvester Musonye called off the match as police tried to tame the unruly fans. The fans were aggrieved by Musonye’s decision not to award them a goal from Moses Odhiambo, indicating that his teammate Ivan Anguyo was offside at the time.

The fans were also incensed after Musonye turned down their penalty calls after an Ulinzi player handled the ball inside the area. This prompted the fans to start throwing all sorts of missiles onto the pitch, forcing the referee to stop the match. Several car windows including Ulinzi’s bus were damaged as players lost their valuables.

Oguda said KPL’s disciplinary arm IDAC will investigate the incident and take the appropriate action. “IDAC have already called a meeting for next Friday where they intend to discuss the Gor Mahia and Rangers incident earlier in the season and the AFC Leopards versus Thika United troubled match in Mumias,” said Oguda. “We just hope they will be in a position to include this latest action.” “The fans should know that the referee’s decision is final,” he said, adding that the players may go scot-free since they did not participate in the mayhem. It is not the first time Gor Mahia fans were engaged in unruly behaviour. Early this season, they were involved in altercation in their opening match against Rangers after seeing their team lose 3-0. The incident is yet to be determined.

Oguda added that they are awaiting the referee and match commissioners’ report to decide whether to award the match to Ulinzi or call for a re-match. The other semi-final tie will be between Sofapaka and Western Stima.

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