Both Ingwe and the home side face potential fines after unruly fans caused the abandonment of the league match
AFC Leopards and Kakamega Homeboyz are starring at potentially heavy fines following incidents of fan trouble witnessed at Bukhungu Stadium during their Football Kenya Federation Premier League clash on Sunday.
The finger of blame was directed Leopards’ way after their fans allegedly caused the abandonment of the match following what was claimed to be ‘poor officiating.’
Homeboyz took the lead via Hillary Otieno’s 24th minute goal but trouble began 10 minutes later when Farouk Shikalo was said to have handled the ball outside the box, with Leopards fans demanding that the home side’s goalkeeper be sent off.
The referee, however, did not show Shikalo a red card, drawing the wrath of Leopards fans who stormed the pitch and gave him a beating, leading to the abandonment of the match.
The ugly incident would degenerate into stone throwing and insults from both sets of supporters, forcing police officers to lob teargas in an effort to quell the situation.
Both sides blamed each other for the ugly incident, Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula calling for Leopards to be punished while his Ingwe counterpart Dan Shikanda wants a replay after accusing the hosts for ‘failing to provide adequate security.’
“We have received the match official’s report and handed it over to the Disciplinary Committee. We will wait for their verdict before commenting on the issue,” Football Kenya Federation CEO Barry Otieno told Pulse Sports on Monday.
According to FKF match regulations, a club will forfeit any match which was abandoned because of the misconduct of their members or supporters, meaning if it is found that Leopards’ fans were at fault, all three points will go to Homeboyz and no replay will happen as has been demanded by Shikanda.
“The FKF National Leagues and Competitions Committee has the discretionary power to take other disciplinary action against clubs for gross or repeated misconduct by the officials, players or supporters of their club,” reads part of the FKF Regulations.
“For example, the club may be suspended, fined and/or relegated if their players accumulate an excessive number of warnings and cards for misconduct or their players, officials and/or supporters are considered responsible for the abandonment of one or more matches in a league or competition organised or authorised by the FKF.”
Ingwe could, therefore, be fined a substantial amount of money as witnessed in 2017 when they were ordered to pay Sh150,000 for incidents of crowd violence, coincidentally involving Homeboyz, when their fans were deemed to have caused the abandonment of a league match at Mumias Complex in August 2016.
Gor Mahia were also fined Sh1.5 million by the Confederation of African Football following crowd trouble during two of their CAF Confederation Cup matches in February 2019 and although it was a different competition, this is the precedent the Disciplinary Committee will be looking at.
Homeboyz may also not get off the hook, however. According to FKF Rules, it will be an offence of act of misconduct if a team fails to provide adequate security at its venue.
“It will be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, that a club has failed to provide adequate security at its venue where the spectators at such venue, irrespective of their affiliation, committed acts, or were responsible for conduct that is considered improper behaviour,” the Rules further state.
“It will not be a defence to the previously mentioned charge that a larger crowd than anticipated attended or attempted to attend the game.”
The Disciplinary Committee will, therefore, need to assess whether what Homeboyz provided on Sunday constituted what is deemed adequate security or not before coming up with a verdict.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)