No choice now but to take security seriously
IDAC has rejected Gor Mahia’s appeal against the IDCC ruling that docked the club three points due to crowd trouble in the match against Tusker. The ruling now stands and Gor Mahia have gone from first to fourth position. Gor Mahia will also have to pay the costs associated with the appeal.
The IDCC ruling has proven that even if Gor Mahia are not the host team, they will still be held responsible for policing their own fans. Above all things, the ruling shows that IDCC is now taking a no-nonsense stance against acts of hooliganism. Accordingly the club must now step up its game regarding match security.
This means properly trained and accredited stewards, additional police in the crowds as well as plain clothes policemen within the crowd. This is something chairman Ambrose Rachier promised in January yet was nowhere to be seen against Tusker. Bhang smoking which is commonplace in matches and which leads to irrational fan behavior should be banned and bhang users should be arrested. As this column pointed out in January, significant portion of the Sportpesa sponsorship money should be allocated to security.
Fans must also police themselves. The primary culprit in the Tusker match is likely well known and should have been reported to the police by fans who know him.
The players are working hard in training and on the field to earn precious points in each game. Therefore a few unruly fans should not undo the hard work of the players. The club is also lucky to have signed a sponsorship after three years without a sponsor. Fan behavior could lead to cancelation of the sponsorship or refusal by Sportpesa to renew the deal when it expires.
But its up to the club to step up its security mechanisms.
mr admin, I want to point out this to you:- Gor Mahia has been undone and unjustly punished by an overzealous bodies that are fighting for relevance and recognition by FKF and KPL. We may have hooligans amongst us but they did nothing during the Tusker match to warrant this heavy punishment. 2. Gor Mahia has been punished for past acts of hooliganism and not for the said acts during Tusker’s match. 3. Its only Gor Mahia and Efusi who have fans thronging the stadiums. If KPL and FKF can not assure us of good and up to standard officiating then they have just stoked the fire and thrown the cat amongst the pigeons. 4. Is there any justification why Gor were never fined which looked more appropriate than being deducted points? 5. It seems FKF has a predetermined champion and all efforts are being made to ensure this happens. We know who they are but God will ensure that only a deserving team becomes the champion of SPL in 2016.
I do not support hooliganism but i do not agree with this decision as it simply sets a bad precedence. It may now become easier for some teams to accumulate points not by their efforts but by the conduct of football fans. How do you determine a Gor Mahia, AFC or even Bandari supporter? IS it by the jerseys they don? What this decision means is that football will now not be played on the pitch but on the terraces by the fans.-this is ridiculous. Hooligans may conspire to make a ” target” team to lose points if such rulings will be left unchallenged. Further more this decision makes nonsense of the effort players and coaches put in to prepare for matches. I am disgusted to say the least…… this decision is totally anti football, or is just anti-GOR MAHIA. How do you just leave the outcome of matches to be in the hands of hooligans?