Kenyan football’s biggest enemy

The past two weekends saw the return of violence to Kenyan football, and now it is full-blown with players, stewards and the fans.

As obvious as the script reads, once again it is Gor Mahia and their nemesis, AFC Leopards with their near-fanatical crowds that have never learnt to accept refereeing calls made against them.

The AFC Leopards-Ulinzi Stars match in Mumias was aborted in the 84^th minute after Leopards fans, led by a ‘purported’ steward raced into the pitch to dispute a second penalty awarded to the soldiers.

Yakubu Ramadhan, Leopard’s centre-back man-handled the referee in protests as things got out of hand.

A week before, Boniface Olouch, the Gor Mahia custodian shoved the assistant referee in dispute of a penalty awarded to Tusker, at the Nyayo National stadium. 

Crowd trouble followed and the game was halted for some minutes.

Days after the two incidents, Sportpesa suspended their sponsorship to the two clubs

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As the air cools down over the return of goons into the stadiums, Kenya Premier League (KPL) Limited and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) must take huge blame for cordoning the vice.

The two clubs are notorious for crowd trouble whenever things get tough on the pitch. Sadly, there has never been a disciplinary precedent tough and punitive enough to teach them the hard way.

They have been tolerated for long. Those in-charge at FKF and KPL have not read the riot act as this bunch of fans wreaks havoc on the pitch.

But for how long will we slowly watch as a tragedy keeps cooking in our stadiums? Do we love seeing fans die in our stadiums or risk the wrath of Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA)?

We must act. The league cannot go down the drain because of some goons within the AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia families?

The corporate world has come back to financially uplift our game and ensure that the game raises families and improves lives of the players. This must be protected.

Those involved must be careful not to taste the sharpness of the knife with their own thighs! It is dangerous.

If the corporate world takes away the dollars, fans die in our stadiums or FIFA slams us with a ban, Kenyan football will pay the price.

Stewards, players and fans have been captured on camera unleashing terror. Their faces are known and so they must be punished.

It is too dear to imagine. Let KPL and FKF step up to the plate and help slay the demon of violence and hooliganism, whose main culprits are AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia.