Gor Mahia Football Club has been ordered to pay nearly KES 2 million for damages caused by its fans during a recent match, according to a letter from the government sports authority seen Thursday.
Pius Metto, director general of Sports Kenya, wrote to Gor Mahia last week demanding payment for “violence (that) erupted where Gor Mahia fan caused mayhem and damaged” seats and electrical equipment during a November 11 match against Muranga Seals at Moi International Sports Centre.
He said 295 seats worth KES 5,000 each were damaged along with wooden panels and electrical panels, totaling KES 1,995,000.
“You are therefore, required to pay the amounts indicated above to enable Sports Kenya replace the seats and carry out the other repairs,” Metto wrote in the Nov. 16 letter.
He also demanded the club submit “an elaborate plan of action on how the club will be able to contain such actions from their fans.” Metto said Sports Kenya would bar fan entry at future Gor Mahia matches if no plan was submitted.
Gor Mahia, one of Kenya’s most popular football clubs, will also be barred from hosting any matches at Sports Kenya facilities until it pays for the damages, he wrote.
Metto copied the letter to Kenya’s ministry of sports and the national football association.
The match against Murang’a Seal, played on Sunday, November 11, 2023, saw chaos erupt shortly after the final whistle, as a section of fans caused mayhem, resulting in running battles with security personnel.
The chaos began when an irate Gor Mahia fan stormed onto the pitch, seemingly intent on attacking the referee due to perceived poor officiating.
The match had indeed seen controversial decisions, including a disallowed goal by Benson Omala. Fans vented their frustration, uprooting seats and throwing them onto the pitch, prompting police to release tear gas and shoot rubber bullets in an attempt to restore order.
The situation continued for an extended period before eventually calming down inside the stadium.
Gor Mahia has been ordered to play matches in empty stadiums in the past as punishment for fan violence, which has long plagued football in Kenya. In 2018, the club was banned from playing continental matches at home after fans stormed the stadium and damaged property during a Confederation of African Football match.
