By Robin Toskin

"He touched my beard and said ‘wewe mjinga’ (you are stupid)," Carlin Alusa the referee who sent off Tusker midfielder Fred Ojwang in a Kenya Premier League match pitting Gor Mahia and the brewers on Sunday, told FeverPitch.

Tusker, trailing to a George Odhiambo strike, had feared for the worst when Alusa blew the whistle for a foul when defender Humphrey Okoti, went in with a strong challenge on Gor’s Baldwin Ngwa.

Tempers were flaring with Tusker having had Francis Oduor’s effort controversially ruled out for offside and every decision seeming to go against them.

But while Okoti was ‘waiting’ for the second card from a distance, with partisan fans mostly Gor Mahia’s enjoying every bit of the unfolding drama as Tusker steamed in K’Ogalo tipple, Alusa served red mist to Ojwang to the consternation of Nyayo Stadium.

"I was not going to book the other player (Okoti)," Alusa explained despite the Tusker man violently swinging his arm at him.

"But this other player (Ojwang) came up to me before grabbing me by my beard (the chin, perhaps? Because pictures show he is clean-shaven). Now that is not what you expect from a player."

Ojwang, however, insists he did nothing wrong and he is now demanding an apology from the referee.

"I was just asking what foul my teammate had committed. I am gutted by that sending off because I did nothing wrong," Ojwang insistes.

But it is unlikely he would get a reprieve.

KPL Technical Adviser on refereeing, GMT Ottieno said the referee "got it right" since the player was sent off for dissent.

"The player who had committed the foul was remorseful and he was yards away but this particular player went in to complain. So it was not a case of mistaken identity. The referee did nothing wrong," Ottieno said.

He added: "We will defend to the hilt referees who do their work properly. For the case of Alusa he was spot on. We did not defend Obare (Richard) when he failed to enforce Law five when Tusker played City Stars and that is why he is suspended for the rest of the season."

Ojwang now faces a lengthy ban should KPL uphold the sending off which could further complicate Tusker’s cahse for glory.

Tusker’s hopes of closing the gap on leaders Sofapaka, who dropped two points in the 1-1 draw at Agro Chemical, were left in tatters following their defeat to high flying Gor.

Instead, Mathare United 2-0 winners over KCB are a point behind the brewers who are five points adrift of Robert Matano’s Sofapaka.

James Nandwa’s side could now travel to face relegation threatened Bandari next weekend without the midfielder.