Gor fans’ riots: The other side of the coin

By OMULO OKOTH

Gor Mahia fans’ rioting at last Sunday’s Kenyan Premier League (KPL) continues to be the subject of discussion in social places.

The Sports Stadia Management Board weighed in with a ban on Kenya’s most famous (infamous?) club from its facilities – Moi Kasarani and Nyayo National Stadia for a year.

I am neither a K’Ogallo nor an AFC Leopards fan. So I don’t grieve over those sanctions. The club I used to support, Re-Union FC, went under many years ago, and attempts at reviving ‘Re Ajwang’ are continuing.

This was a club that appealed to the detribalized urban youth, who did not believe in the sort of rituals and madness that some big clubs are notorious for. More so, their youthful players were some of the most talented, artistic and naturally gifted that they would hardly stay in the club for two seasons before the Big Two snapped them up.

I am talking about the likes of Charles Ochieng, Osingo Migure, Godfrey Kabilo, Mark Shida, Charles Okoth, Fred Umara, George Opiyo, Francis Kadenge, Odiye Kasongo, among others. Their only equivalent in terms of talent and public image, were Kakamega’s Motcom.

But that does not mean I turn a blind eye to success stories associated with Gor, Leopards and others.

To address the matter at hand, Gor fans behaved badly last Sunday. They have done so in the past. They have been punished, given a black out by SuperSport, handed hefty fines. But do they change?

During my reporting years, club officials would confront us and wag their fingers angrily at us demanding to prove that the rioting fans were Gor’s or AFC’s supporters.

However hard we argued which side of the stadium the fans were sitting, and everybody knows the demarcation in the terraces, especially during the derby, officials would still threaten us with dire consequences if we did not desist from bandying accusations on their innocent, hard-working and law abiding fans.

Well, there were no merchandised jerseys those days, so it was legally tricky to prove whose fans were causing trouble, but only because of the nature of the law, else it was obvious even to the most naÔve whose supporters were rioting.

These days, they turn up in full club colours. So it cannot be a matter of mistaken identity who the culprits are.

My position is that this is a matter of dÈj‡ vu and the KPL, Football Kenya Federation and clubs must work out a formula to stop it.

One cannot single out Gor Mahia as the worst culprits. In terms of fan trouble, the two are almost equal since time immemorial.

Some fans spewing expletives at Gor Mahia now are doing so purely because of vested interests. The only difference is Gor have been on the rise in the past year and their boisterous fans, who call themselves all sorts of praise names, including Sirkal, have lately been on a rough patch and therefore were perceived to have rioted to forestall another defeat.

Referees’ actions on the field are key to the reactions on the terraces. A word of caution to an obviously offending player can work out wonders among the fans, even if followed with a red card thereafter.

Don’t condone indiscipline, rough tackling and bad behavior in the field. But make your decisions while fully alive to the repercussions.

They must be aware of the consequences of liberally flashing red cards and giving penalties during such derby. These matches are like a powder keg, only awaiting fire and you end up with what we all witnessed last Sunday.

We have not reached the level of sophistication in places like Europe where fans, more often, understand and agree with such major decisions.

Lastly, our clubs must educate their fans to espouse civility and adherence to the rule of the law. If this does not happen, clubs will lose millions from gate collections, if they are banned from modern stadia or forced to play behind closed stadia.

— The writer is The Standard Sports Editor

iomulo@standardmedia.co.ke