Task-force formed to curb football hooliganism

The Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination of National Government, the Kenyan Premier League, Extreme Sports Limited and betting firm SportPesa on Thursday established a consortium to curb rising cases of hooliganism and fans misconduct in football matches.

The football sponsors and regulator drew a security response to be implemented in all upcoming matches after the sport was rocked by three ugly incidents that caused stoppage of play or abandonment of the game in the past two months.

Speaking at the first consortium sitting, SportPesa CEO; Ronald Karauri insisted sponsor interest to grow the game locally was still alive despite the tainted image and unbecoming behavior from fans.

“As sponsors, we are proud to be part of this process that is aimed at restoring the lost glory of football.  Football is a great sport that has revolutionized the lives of many by creating employment opportunities which the youth have benefited from.

“We will not only issue cheques and take a back seat but ensure that football is run professionally in order to achieve our 2022 dream. It is because of this that we are involved in this very significant event that will help curb these vices,” he said.

SportPesa suspended the sponsorship of league giants, Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards on April 26 after KPL charged the teams with incidents of hooliganism that erupted during their league games between Tusker FC (April 16) and Ulinzi Stars (April 23).

In the case of Leopards, KPL further awarded the match to the soldiers with a 2-0 score after rowdy Ingwe fans caused the game in Mumias to abort while Gor had their tempestuous encounter with the Brewers held for over 15 minutes before order was restored with the latter winning 1-0. In both cases, disputed penalties caused the melee.

Unruly fans also caused national team Harambee Stars 2017 AFCON home qualifier against Guinea Bissau on March 27 to be held up for almost 30 minutes after the visitors scored what proved to be the winner in a 1-0 loss that saw Kenya’s interest in the finals end as police fired teargas to disperse the chaotic supporters.

“KPL began its operations in 2003 and there were not many fans in our stadiums. This changed come 2007 when we received our first sponsorship which saw an increase of fans and with that came the issue of security which has been one of our biggest challenges to date,” the league management body chief executive, Jack Oguda, added.

“It is rather unfortunate that a sport that has been developed over the years can be tainted by hooliganism and irresponsible behavior from fans. We are delighted to be part of this workshop that will help us come up with a way forward and a road map that will benefit our sponsors, partners and the league at large thereby restoring the glory of Kenyan football,” he stressed.

-Drug abuse-

Drug abuse and alcoholism was singled out as one of the main contributing factors to unrest in stadia with a sensatisation programme among youth and football fans mooted as a way forward.

Football teams were also urged to engage their supporters on the importance of maintaining order during games as well as encourage them to report cases of hooliganism and the perpetrators to authorities.

Crowd management and use of vetted stewards who hold certificates of good conduct will also be employed to maintain peace during matches.

“We have been in discussions especially with key government officials on how to address this issue and as a result we agreed to bring the stakeholders together to map out a way to tackle the menace. Without a lasting resolve, we risk destroying the livelihoods of many in this industry as football as a sport employs many.

“Hooliganism destroys the foundation we are trying to lay for the development of professionally run football in this country and together I believe we will find lasting solutions that will help football grow.”  Extreme Sports boss, Hussein Mohammed underscored.

The use of trained plain clothes police to identify and swiftly deal with brewing threats during matches was also fronted as way of curbing hooliganism.

Jail terms for the perpetrators was suggested as a deterrent with no football fan caught causing unrest at local stadiums yet to be prosecuted.