Police called to chaos at Shabana FC vs Gor Mahia in Kenya Premier League

Photo Credit - Gor Mahia FC.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) CEO Harold Ndege has condemned the violence witnessed during the FKF Premier League clash between Shabana FC and Gor Mahia at Gusii Stadium on Sunday.

During the fixture, crowd trouble left 60 fans injured, according to a statement from the police. Despite the chaos, Gor Mahia went on to win 1-0 courtesy of a 76th-minute goal from Sylvester Owino.

In his statement, Ndege confirmed that the Federation have already engaged the police for a formal investigation, while internal judicial bodies are also reviewing match officials' reports.

“Thankfully, there were no fatalities, and he commended medical personnel at four Kisii hospitals for their swift response,” read the statement. “To prevent future incidents, FKF has rolled out several measures, including nationwide fan education campaigns, a steward training programme for FKFPL and NSL clubs, and the development of a new security policy.

“FKF will also take greater control over security at high-risk matches, enforce stricter stadium licensing standards, and collaborate with the National Police to form a multi-agency task force against hooliganism,” the statement continued.

The Federation urged fans to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship and vowed to provide continuous updates on the matter.

Meanwhile, Gor Mahia official Sally Bolo condemned the incident and called on FKF to stop defending Shabana. “Defending what happened in Kisii?” said Bolo, speaking to Pan-Africa Football.

“There is solid evidence on the surface for all to see... the match was paused more than twice due to violence, or was it just a normal random break during the match? A restart was impossible after a long second pause, as it was unbearable for the linesman to be in his position. Let's condemn hooliganism in totality.”