Gor Mahia versus AFC Leopards Derbies: Fan trouble or a case of Hooligans and Criminals? PART 2

So it comes as no surprise when in 2012 we are still grappling with crowd trouble,disorderliness and hooliganism at he famed derbies pitting rivals Gor Makia a.k.a. K'Ogallo and AFC Leopards a.k.a. Ingwe.

Just like it was in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s,the week before the match, fans of each of these teams engage in long debates about past matches and possible outcomes of upcoming games. These debates are rife on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and they come full with pictures and cartoon representations of team mascots against each other. Either it’s a picture of a an AFC fan peeing on a Gor Mahia jersey or a pic of a headless chicken etc.Status updates and debates on team fan pages only serve to heighten pre-game tension.

Gor Mahia fans at a local derby

The local dailies also hype these games with full page features on ticket sales, player profiles, past games highlights,,table standings and the side shows during previous derbies.

Thanks to team branding, it becomes very easy to identify an opposing fans and taunt them as they snake their way into the stadium.All the built up tension always simmers at the stadium as games are being played.The slightest of provocation on the pitch or on the stands therefore result into name calling,stones and bottle pelting and general disorderliness.

End results, teams {Gor especially} are fined and banned from playing at certain stadiums or if they play it is in a field without fans.

Here’s my take#

There are fans, fanatics, hooligans and criminals in any sport you might think of.

Gor Mahia and AFC clubs are no exceptions.

Gor Mahia versus AFC Leopards Derbies: Fan trouble or a case of Hooligans and Criminals? PART 1

I recall in my early days growing up we used to collect plastic paper bags {jualas} and beat up cactus plants against rough edged walls to get sisal that we used to make polythene‘footballs’ with.

So beautiful were they that the level of 'sophistication' and 'class' went to the most intricately woven polythene ball either in squared or circular pattern.The ‘classier’ the ball, the more the players you got when it came to game time.

The polythene bag balls we used to play ball with..

Growing up in the 80’s, we only had two teams to identify with: Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, and these are the teams that we divided ourselves into in any soccer game in the hood.

We didn’t stop there, we knew each and every player by name so you can imagine we had an exact replica Gor and AFC team of 7-8yr olds runnning around our neighbourhood pitch.

So we had the little, Sammy Onyango ‘Jogoo',Peter Dawo, Ben ‘Break-dance’ Oloo,George Onyango 'Fundi',Peter 'Bassanga' Otieno,George Sunguti,Goal Keepers - Omar Shaban,Abass Khamis Magongo just to mention but a few.