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Here, the most catastrophic ‘Mashemeji’ derbies ever


Kenya’s two most popular football clubs, Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, have over the past decades left memories of fun, entertainment and banter in the minds of their loya fans, all in the name of match.

In between this fanfare, however, the different sets of fans have amongst them witnessed incidents they rather not recall.

One such incident was back in March 2012, when a fixture featuring the two teams at the Nyayo National Stadium was abandoned due to crowd trouble.

A cross section of the ans at the match venue turned rowdy, leaving behind a trail of destruction inside and outside the facility.

All this was occasioned by a red card to Gor Mahia midfielder Victor Ali Abondo received from match referee Davies Omweno for dangerous play.

Gor Mahia fans contested the decision in the best way they knew and the match was hold off for prolonged period as the police struggled to restore order with tear gas canisters flying all over the place.

TEARGAS

Abondo has since been nicknamed ‘Teargas’ in allusion to his role as the ‘perpetrator’ of the mayhem.

The match was abandoned with the scores still at goalless, whilst the management of both teams were handed heavy fines by the game’s administrators.

But this events pales in comparison to the those of October 2010 in another fixture featuring the two teams at the same venue.

Then, seven fans died after a stampede ensued at one of the entry points as impatient ticket holders attempted top force their way into the match venue.

On that fateful day fans were reportedly irked by the ‘long queues’ at the gates even after the match had begin on a rainy evening in Nairobi.

Their patient finally ran out and some of them chose to pulled down gate 2 to forcefully gain entry resulting into the stampede.

On the eve of yet another meeting between these two teams, football lovers and Kenyans as a whole, will be hoping these two incidents, officially classified as among the worst in the country’s sporting history will not be witnessed again.