Section of damage at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani on Saturday afternoon ©Sammy Gitahi
Section of damage at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani on Saturday afternoon ©Sammy Gitahi

Chaos and vandalism descends Kasarani Stadium amid Gor Mahia draw with Murang'a Seal

Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 11.11.23. | 19:25

Damage in the stadium included broken seats, window panes and electricity meter box

Chaos ensued at the close of Gor Mahia's game against newly promoted side Murang'a Seal after a section of fans near the player entry stand threw projectiles at the on-duty match officials who unsuccessfully attempted to make their way out of the Moi International Sports Centre - Kasarani grounds.

The unfortunate events came immediately after a section of Gor Mahia players at full time, surrounded the centre referee Kevin Amol for what seemed like disagreement on a couple of wrong calls made in the Saturday barren draw.

Succumbing to their second consecutive barren draw in the FKF Premier League, the league defending champions for the better part of the afternoon felt as if much of the game's officiating was against them.

Benson Omala's first half strike was in unclear circumstances ruled out for offside, as were other edgy multiple calls that seemed to infuriate the Green Army support.

At full time, the angst from the Green Army fan base was visible, as after being confronted by the frustrated players, the four match officials for the game: Amol (Centre referee), Stephen Yiembe (First assistant), Wycliffe Amenya (second assistant) and match commissioner Walter Ondiege needed a 'human shield' from the match stewards, to eventually exit the pitch.

The stumbling block was that a section of fans gathered near the player tunnel, and in seconds, began hurling objects at the departing party.

The objects in this case were plastic and glass bottles, before the awful old scene of pieces of stadium seats (mainly plucked from the stand's lower section) flying through the air.

With the match officials' exit curtailed - and the group scampering back to safety on centre pitch - a number of General Service Unit (GSU) officers (Mozzart Sport confirmed the number to be 25 in total) fired teargas cannisters on the fans nearby, causing a back and forth commotion that took up to 20 minutes.

All this while, the chaotic fans threw more seats, and were brave enough to launch some teargas cans back to the officers.

"The referee was very poor today," one fan, requesting to remain anonymous told Mozzart Sport. "I don't understand why he made so many wrong calls. Shouldn't be happening in the Premier League."

Another said: "We saw a clear goal wrongfully disallowed. The fans need to voice their opinion."

The sorry scenes, which eventually came to an end as all fans left the stadium, adds up to not only complaints about the league's standards of officiating this season, but also the behaviour of stadium vandalism that despite not dominating the headlines in the recent years, is now threatening to lay its head in the game back again.

There were no reported incidences of player or fan injuries as the entire stadium emptied out in on this case, gloom.



tags

Gor MahiaMuranga SealFootball Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL)Football Kenya Federation (FKF)

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