It was cowardly to ruin the big derby

A football fan prepares to throw a stone during as chaos broke out during a SportPesa Premier league match between AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia at Nyayo Stadium on August 23, 2015. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The Green army was there, we jammed the stadium, the few Ingwe fans who still believe in their team made an appearance for a great family get-together until the 65th minute when goons struck.
  • Yes, Gor Mahia was awarded the game and the points, which we deserved, but it was an anticlimax that we didn’t win on the pitch because of the cowardly Ingwe yobs. What a shame!
  • My position remains clear, hooliganism has no place in football whether it is orchestrated by K’Ogalo or Ingwe fans and I maintain these hooligans belong to jail. What Ingwe fans did on this day was shameful and took our football many years back.

From 1968 when Gor Mahia was founded, their biggest arch rivals have been their ‘in-laws’, AFC Leopards once referred to as Abaluhya Football Club.

Over seventy times, the two great clubs have battled and produced some of the best players who have brought honours in this country. The battle between the two has come to be popularly known as the Mashemeji derby.

But today as I pen this column, am a disappointed man. If you know African traditions, mashemeji need to respect each other but our in laws have failed to give us that respect that we deserve and we are ready to sever this relationship.

On August 23, we converged at Nyayo Stadium as one family to enjoy what we have had for close to 50 years, the Mashemeji derby.

The Green army was there, we jammed the stadium, the few Ingwe fans who still believe in their team made an appearance for a great family get-together until the 65th minute when goons struck.

Fearing humiliation, our shemejis decided to cause trouble and bring the match to a premature end. Yes, Gor Mahia was awarded the game and the points, which we deserved, but it was an anticlimax that we didn’t win on the pitch because of the cowardly Ingwe yobs. What a shame!

My position remains clear, hooliganism has no place in football whether it is orchestrated by K’Ogalo or Ingwe fans and I maintain these hooligans belong to jail. What Ingwe fans did on this day was shameful and took our football many years back.

It is time real Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards fans stood out against hooliganism. I commend K’Ogalo fans for not reacting despite being provoked by their shemejis on this day.

Today, Gor and Leopards are struggling to get sponsorship, the main reason they lost the corporate backing is because of the loutish behaviour of some of their fans. It is time the real shemejis came out and demonstrateed their love for their clubs and shame the hooligans.

The two clubs are by far the biggest brands in the country only rivalled by Safaricom according to a research done last year.

That notwithstanding, we enjoyed 65 minutes of great football, Gor Mahia against Lucas Indeche who was the true Leopard on this day.

We are awaiting our shemejis to tell us when they want us to play the remaining 25 minutes so that will we score the goals we were supposed to.

Meanwhile, we now focus on the other ‘derby’, the KDF derby where we will be coronated as the 2015 champions.

Take it from me, the K’Ogalo Defence Force are going to stop the Kenya Defence Forces in Nakuru in a fortnight’s time.

We remain unbeaten, unbwogable; we are K’Ogalo!