Players’ safety must be prioritised

It is usually very amusing when you get into a fourteen-seater matatu and behold a first aid box properly labelled and set at a vantage point where everyone observes it.

Perhaps it is put there just to mock at you and disarm the traffic officer whose job is just to see that it is there. Most of the time, that red box is ‘very’ empty.

All those red boxes that are supposed to help you in case of an accident have nothing else but a dusty bandage that has been there for eons! Thou should pray that nobody ties that piece of infected cloth on your fresh wound. It shall make you suffer than you did in the accident.

The first aid kits are there just to comply with the traffic rules and even in personal cars; you find them well stacked in the boot for the sake of looks.

CALLED OFF

One may wonder why we digress into first aid kits and vehicles in the sports pages when we are supposed to talk football here.

The reason is that one rare Kenyan referee stood up to enforce the rules of the game and actually for his strictness; a match had to be called off and rightly so!

Three weeks ago, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) conducted a day long seminar for stakeholders to enhance preparedness for any emergency that occurs during a match.

Injuries usually occur in football and it is prudent that before a match, an ambulance with some medics must be there on hand to deal with unforeseen injuries and save a player’s life.

Recently, Fifa has instructed that before a match is played; all must make sure that they have cardiac arrest kits and oxygen canisters.

This is the main reason why our benevolent FKF conducted the colloquium. FKF also confirmed that the said kit is available as a donation from Fifa. They also said they have them. These rules are meant to apply in both the FKF Premier League and the top tier Kenyan Premier League.

Nakumatt FC was scheduled to host Nzoia United for a match on Wednesday April 8 at the Machakos County Stadium but the match wasn’t played.

The hosts provided an ambulance as required but it had only one personnel inside with only one stretcher that presumably would be used to cart out an injured player.

That is all the superwoman inside the ambulance had to give first aid! She was a short and slender lady and we could only marvel at the fountains of energy that must have been swirling within her veins.

The hosts were indefatigable. They brought in two more ambulances; one was outrightly rejected by the law abiding referee for reasons too funny that I do not wish to engage in for lack of space.

The other ambulance did had a rusty and empty oxygen canister which rusty and empty. It looked useless and highly suspect.

They also had no mask for the intake of the missing oxygen.

The match was supposed to have kicked off at 4pm. Thirty minutes later the wide-eyed hosts were still running round the maze of ambulances in Machakos county looking for these trivial things.

I discovered something else; we look very pretty in this country, especially when we are totally confused!

The Machakos county people and the host team were too beautiful to behold as they scurried around like cornered rats. You are very pretty ladies and gentlemen!

At the end of this circus, the referee was compelled to call off the match. We had paid to watch it, but it was more fun watching the FKF PL’s disorganisation; I shall make a point of attending all the remaining comedies.

The loveliest statement from FKF a few weeks back was that: “Football Kenya Federation has organised a one day seminar for referees and our medical services providers to enhance their preparedness and learn how to use the cardiac kit which is now available kindly donated by Fifa.”

So the kits are available after all! Just like the empty first aid kit in our vehicles!

That was a great match. Thank you for the entertainment.