CRACKING THE WHIP: FKF overrules KPL and awards Muhoroni match against Tusker

Tusker's Jessy Were celebrates a goal he scrored against Gor Mahia FC with Brian Osumba during their TOP 8 match at City Stadium on 04-06-2014.PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has found Tusker guilty of having fielded 12 players during their match against Muhoroni Youth and awarded the match to the latter.

The decision reverses an earlier one by Kenyan Premier League (KPL) which had awarded the match to Tusker after they found Muhoroni Youth guilty of causing the match to be abandoned by walking out of the pitch.

But in making their decision yesterday, FKF sharply differed with the KPL and said Tusker were guilty of a ‘very serious offence’.
The federation took evidence from the match officials who were in charge together with Tusker officials.

“After hours of deliberations and listening to several officials, we have evidence that Tusker had 12 players on the pitch and therefore deserve to lose the game. In this regard, we award the match to Muhoroni Youth on a 2-0 basis,” said FKF boss Sam Nyamweya.

Tusker were leading 2-1 before the match was abandoned in the 75th minute when Muhoroni Youth players refused to continue playing after discovering that Tusker had 12 players on the pitch.

Tusker coach Francis Kimanzi and his assistant Leonard Odipo were fined Sh100,000 each for their ‘role in the matter’.

The federation further announced sanctions on some of the match officials who were in charge.

It banned fourth official Badir Yassin for three months. Peter Kiereini, who was an assistant referee, has been banned for four months, the same as Oliver Ouma.

Centre referee Alfred Juma was reprimanded as he was not wholly to blame for the incident.

Reacting to the ruling, Tusker director Charles Obiny accused the federation of not following its own rules.

“Football all over the world is governed by rules. We want to be told which rule was used to come up with this decision. In this case, the role of making a substitution is up to the referee and not the coach. The rule is very clear in this situation and this is what KPL did. It is not our fault at all,” he said.

He ruled out lodging an appeal since it will go to the same people who made the ruling.

“However, we will insist on a clarification as to how the decision was made. We don’t mind losing, but everything must be done within the rules,” he said.

Elsewhere, FKF has ordered KPL to move Saturday’s match between AFC Leopards and Sofapaka to a neutral venue.

The match had earlier been scheduled to be played at Mumias Complex, but after Sofapaka asked that it be moved, FKF agreed with them.

Sofapaka want the match to be played either in Nakuru or at Kasarani Stadium over what they claim as threats from AFC Leopards fans.

The match is supposed to be played behind closed doors after AFC Leopards fans were banned from watching their matches due to crowd trouble.