The perils that come with amateur refereeing

In low-level local derbies, the person who loses most is the central referee. Well, some of these heated matches are played in front of fans whose rivalry is much greater than what was witnessed at the World Cup.

Most of them go unreported in the media and as such, not many people hear about them.

I have been to a match where the referee was so intimidated by the fans that he couldn’t book an offending player for fear of reprisal.

There have also been matches where fans often remind the poor match officials that as soon as the match ends they will discover – to use a common Luo analogy – that “omena is a full-grown fish.”

The threats are usually potent and the common strategy that some match officials have devised is to get as far away from the angered fans as possible once the match is over.

As the match nears its end, the referee will move towards the opposite corner flag then blow the whistle and immediately sprint as fast as his legs can take him.

Such is the nature of the local amateur football where some referees are often compelled to conceal objects that they can use for self defence when things get out of hand.

REFEREE ASSAULT
These matches are usually below the radar of the football governing bodies; they are just arranged in the estates.

What is baffling is the fact that there have been several Kiambu County matches which have been blighted by assault on referees by players, team managers and some fans.

At some point these incidents reached a point where the officials downed their whistles and refused to officiate to protest administrators failure to act on the matter.

Thankfully, the body finally acted in the merriest manner only possible in Kiambu.

In a ruling made on September 27, the Kiambu County League appeals, complaints and verdicts committee awarded a centre referee Sh1,775 in compensation for grievous bodily harm he suffered from at the hands of some murderous players and officials during a match.

This official, we assume, must be jumping with joy for having been paid such a whooping sum of money!

His children must be rejoicing because he can now afford to get them as many toys as they fancy. The puzzle has been solved; a precedent set.

When a referee is injured in Kiambu, he should go to some dispensary, spend his money on treatment and he shall be reimbursed upon producing a receipt of his expenditure on medication.

NO PUNITIVE ACTION

But you cannot be paid for any damages; just what you spent in hospital!

And what happens to the assailants?

In their great verdict, that took over a month to be delivered, the committee found the chairman of Gathanga Youth FC guilty of incitement that led his players to cause mayhem.

Yet, no punitive action has been taken on neither him nor the players.

Meanwhile, assault on referees continues unabated. Recently, a County League tie between Gatongora FC and Paradise Lost lasted just five minutes after the centre referee, Isaac Alwala, was assaulted by a Paradise Lost player.

Other cases of assault have been reported in Provincial games between Matejagwa and Gathanga, and that between Commercial and Kamunyu.

Similar incidents have occurred in Murang’a County league games between Mugumoini and Kabati, Wakariko and Nyathiru and also in a Kiambu County League game between Mwimuto and Ngecha.    

For a region that is not well known in football circles, such occurrences have not done any good in popularising the sport. More worrying is the attitude of the local administrators of the game who have at best just slapped the offenders on the wrist.

That is why if the league secretary Paul Kimotho does not take charge now, he should altogether take a walk!