Clearly, nothing good can come out of the den

Over a week ago, I had the chance to visit a Huduma Centre for the very first time. I found myself being assisted by an officer by the name Maxim Itur.

For those in the dark, this is one of the longest- and fairest- referees we have seen in local football.

The celebrated referee is now a match commissioner and a Fifa trainer.

I was reminded of this encounter towards the end of the week when I watched a very encouraging news item on TV from AFC Leopards.

Now let us all admit, it is very rare to hear anything positive from our noisy neighbours.

To paraphrase one of Jesus’ followers Nathanael after his brother Philip announced to him that he had finally met the Messiah the old texts wrote about, “can anything good come out of the Den?”

Apparently in this case the answer is yes.

According to the news clip, two officials of the team had earned ignominy after they were found guilty of roughing up a referee at an Ingwe match on January 6 in Machakos.

To the management of Ingwe, my biggest congratulations!

We keep on carping about hooliganism in our local football year in, year out yet at the end of the day it remains only - an impotent rage and mourning that achieves nothing even as the culprits continue in their wayward behaviours.

I hope our own Gor Mahia will take the cue and stamp its feet when it comes to hooliganism.

I have read with appalling horror as a section of the fans defend some of the club’s supporters whose antics can earn them long stints in prison.

My appeal to the management in this New Year is to work closely with the police and hand over these miscreants to the authorities after which they should be charged and possibly sent to Kamiti Maximum Security prison.

Doing so will send the message that no one - even a Gor Mahia supporter - is above the law and that at the end of the day our sins shall follow us into the walls of a prison.

Last week I went on and on about Denis Oliech and how his arrival at Gor Mahia could be the start of a new beginning both for the club and the man himself.

In his second match at K’Ogalo, ‘son of Mary’ as his adoring fans call him, did not disappoint scoring a nice goal as Gor beat Posta Rangers.

I was one of the overjoyed followers and it is my prayer that Oliech will continue hitting the back of the net even as I hope that scouts from the national team are also watching.

As I said last week, I am of the firm conviction that Oliech is not yet over the hill and so can still contribute something both at club and national level.