How everything is/was set up for disaster at Nyayo Stadium

FIFA GUIDELINES

1. Only tickets for numbered seats are allowed to be sold in stadia (standing room may not be put on sale and must remain empty).

NYAYO: No numbered seats and no seats at all. Uefa and Fifa insist on tickets sales with seat numbers.

2. Crowd capacity must be meticulously verified and must never be exceeded.

NYAYO: Home team (Gor Mahia) through their ticketing agents did the verification, but the process was slow as only two gates were open.

3. The method of ticket sales must be arranged in such a way that rules out forgery.

NYAYO: Ticket Masters handled the tickets, which were sold out on match day by 3pm according to reports. It appears more tickets sold than capacity.

4. Kick-off may not take place until the situation outside the stadium and on the terraces is completely under control. Only the Fifa commissioner is entitled to decide on such a situation after consulting the local authorities.

NYAYO: Kick-off was supposed to be 7pm, but match was delayed only because the pitch was waterlogged and referees wanted the pitchmarked properly. Outside, the tension was building and ticket wielding fans grew impatient

5. One or two cordons made up of security forces must be posted outside the stadium (to carry out the first check on spectators and then channel them).

NYAYO: There were no police cordons. The fans’ first stop was the points of entry into the stadium. This led to crowds building up at the gates on stadium walls. There were many police officers with dogs, too, but they seemed not briefed.

6. The Fifa commissioner (or, at high-risk matches, the Fifa security officer) is required to carry out a systematic check of the safety precautions inside and outside the stadium at every World Cup match. In this connection, the Fifa commissioner (or the Fifa security officer) is obliged to check every point contained in the security checklist.

NYAYO: Gor Mahia v AFC Leopards fixture is historically a high-risk match. It’s unclear whether there was any security officer detailed by either FKL (agent of Fifa) or KPL to access security threats before kick-off. But, a day before the match, Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards, KPL and Langata Division Operations officer Superintendent Ancet Kaloki had a meeting whose discussions were said to be fruitful.

7. In the case of stadia with fences separating the crowds from the pitch, technical precautions must be taken so that spectators will be able to enter the pitch in emergencies. This means that every protective fence must be easily dismantled, if need be ("evacuation gates" installed in the middle of the fences are inadequate).

NYAYO: The perimeter is secured with barbed wired with gates leading to the pitch padlocked . Only one person has the keys. In case terraces or walls collapse, or commotion inside the stadium, fans cannot run to safety on the pitch.

8. In the case of matches played at night, stadia must be equipped with permanently installed floodlights, enabling the game to be played without hindrance. This ruling also applies if breakdowns are likely (especially in countries where electricity supply is limited).

NYAYO: There was no power interruption on the day