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Post by mzee on Aug 4, 2011 12:08:03 GMT 3
phil And what is happening to Ingwe jameni? What moves have they pulled of late. We need a strong duopoly like it was in the past, just like in other leagues, a dominant big two or three is needed! Without ingwe there will be no Gor. It's the rivalry between the two that produced the best in the players. So, why kogalo is arming itself ingwe must do the same.
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Post by genius on Aug 4, 2011 12:32:14 GMT 3
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Post by jakaswanga on Aug 4, 2011 18:22:22 GMT 3
@ Einstein, Football politics will always be football politics. As is to be expected coalition wars between PNU and ODM have spilled into coming KPL elections and being a major institution in the KPL, Gor Mahia is bound to feature in such siasa. Uhuruto are sponsoring certain candidates and other candidates are assumed to be RAO and Mudavadi sympathizers. Granted, in Gor Mahia the Tuzo sponsorship is heavily lopsided in favour of the dairy firm but still remains the single biggest club football sponsorship in sub Sahara Africa. Players and the technical bench are now getting paid their wages promptly, they are fully kitted for training and matches, and perhaps more importantly they have full medical cover courtesy of the Tuzo sponsorship. You realise also the Gor Mahia head coach also Zeddy Otieno doubles as the Harambee Stars coach and hypocrites like Tom Ataro have not seen any contradiction or conflict of interest in that. So why pick on Rachier? I have previously sat down with the chairman and some of his officials and it is ironic that the people who are demanding audited accounts have no idea about how auditors are hired, or how the club raises funds or negotiate for transfer of players. Actually, these are the same officials who feel frustrated that Rachier has sealed all loopholes for individuals making money in the name of the club (read - printing personal tickets on match days and making their own replica jerseys of the club and pocketing the proceeds). Luckily for Gor, the club is going places without having to rely on handouts from politicians or corruption cartels. Rachier has presented a strategic plan that includes acquisition and construction of a club house and grounds fro Gor which would make the club independent and also open a an alternative revenue stream. [ b]Gor's plot for the club house, allocated by former president Moi, was grabbed by former officials who are now fighting Rachier[/b].[/color] With the new constitution and with Rachier's background as senior counsel, there is every possibility that gor will regain its land and hopefully build a state of the art club house and training grounds that will also serve as home ground. I think from among the candidates for KPL leadership, and based on his record in the corporate world and as Gor chairman, Ambrose Rachier is best suited to lead KPL back to the days of glory.[/quote] Phil, Phil O dear Phil, that is a can of worms I wish you had not opened! But now that you have, I will just cut the boil and wade through the pus, for all the sensitivities of my Luo footbal nationanalism! I talked above in jocular hyperbole about the need for the muthamaki to avail Gor an own stadium! I was aware Gor already has historic properties which have been stolen by Luos and their smart alec lawyers in the city, and that Orengo in his official capacity, has been petitioned both ex officio and otherwise by genuince Kogalo fans to help recover them. [ Their commercial value at current inflated rates could easily purchase part of the expansive Kirima estates to the east, where a Gor stadium could be erected]. But Jim Orengo, for reasons we now think we know, has been reluctant and evasive to the point of complicity in the crime. So a group of die-hard fans went to investigate which law firms were involved in the paper work of transfering Gor's lands in the city to Luo wannabes! Little wonder nobody can face Ruto down for stealing a municipality plot in Eldoret town! NB: I am against Rachier leaving Gor now for greater things. I think he must see what he started through. I fear Gor will relapse to the days when a player with an injury had to fend for himself! and wages were paid by the treasurer, but never reached the players!
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Post by phil on Aug 5, 2011 12:47:02 GMT 3
@jak
I see where you are coming from and this is precisely the politics I was telling you is now rife in FLK/PKL and even within Gor Mahia itself.
I know the dedicated fans you are talking about, the ones who claim they know exactly who is holding the club's title.
Orengo the minister of lands and Orengo the advocate and senior counsel are two different entities. I would rather not go into that.
One thing though, Rachier cannot remain static. If he establishes fine structures and manages to entrench discipline, the club can go places. There are factions fighting the chairman and they are well known.
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Post by phil on Aug 7, 2011 9:22:22 GMT 3
phil And what is happening to Ingwe jameni? What moves have they pulled of late. We need a strong duopoly like it was in the past, just like in other leagues, a dominant big two or three is needed! pm, Here's a recent passionate plea from an ingwe fan......not forgetting the Chairman of AFC Leopards is politically affiliated to George Saitoti and not any of the pretenders to the throne (Jirongo, Wamalwa, Kombo, Wetangula, etc) in Western Province where the club derives its core support. Besides that, Ingwe's problems are very similar to those of Gor Mahia although in this case more acute because of warring factions and football politics. To the leopards' familly, From a concerned fan Tuesday, 12 April 2011 11:04 administrator
It is indeed sad that just when we thought we were back on track we happen to be headed the same place we came from not so long ago. Two consecutive defeats is a pill bitter for any Ingwe fan to swallow despite a loss being part of the game of football. Not late at all for a comeback i must say but their are crucial issues we need to iron out if success is to come our way. I have highlighted a few of them as follows;
1. Technical Bench
A technical bench needs to be above board. Some of the comments posted on the FaceBook branch official wall about people who may be fielding some players so that they get a reward do not augur well.
The technical bench needs to have a clear chain of command. There is a saying that goes 'too many cooks spoil the broth' and therefore it is important to know who is in charge of what, who reports to who, whose mandates ends where e.t.c.
Hopefully, members of the technical bench all have contracts with Leopards and are not operating on whims of officials. Hopefully, the office keeps a file on each of the members of the technical bench including their CVs, references just like in any job. If this isn't happening, then the EC needs to put its act together.
2. Playing Unit
We have a squad of about 28-30 players. Competition for the 18 players to be named to the team sheet has to be stiff even if there may be some injuries here or there.
Professionalism to be instilled in the players and emphasis to be made that their job is a performance based job. If the players do not perform, then better players can be sourced. When a player is taken at Leopards, there needs to be adequate orientation to the team. What does it mean to play for Leopards? What is the history of AFC Leopards? What sort of ambitions do the fans expect of the players?
No need to go boasting on the website that we are the best paying team in the League. We want the best PLAYING team and even if they are not playing the best in the League, the fans are interested in only one thing: the results!
All players should provide Bank Details so that payments are made by bank transfers. It helps in the auditing of the team finances and also instils professionalism in the team.
Any incentives and bonuses should be wholesome to the team and not merely to those who make the team sheet. Facebook branch members stand accused here with their PRK(Player Reward Kitty) initiative. Not that it is a bad idea but why should players who are injured be prejudiced for something not of their own making. Better to reduce the winning bonuses and give all so that we learn to win together as a team or fail together as a team.
But the most important thing: the players should know the value of putting on the blue and white jersey. It is the dream of many boys in Western Kenya. It is the dream of some fans who support this team and when those who are privileged to wear the jersey don't understand why it is important to wear it, we are wasting our time supporting them. Some time back, coach Twahir Muhiddin came to speak to players of Leopards. I think it was in 2009. He was shocked when some players asked him: 'Kwani Leopards has ever won the league?'
Lets build a team of professional and committed players. Remember what Kenny Dalglish said in January when he was asked about Fernando Torres leaving Liverpool. He said one sentence: 'The most important people are the people who want to be here!'
3. Facilities
Training pitch - Has to be tip top. Someone mentioned to me that the team has trained at Ikulu that is free (presumably), no dressing room, no privacy, no goal posts on one side, no water tap etc. Does this really sound like the training pitch of a team that is sponsored to the tune of 15 million per annum?
Transport - We have heard that the team used Star Bus to travel to Kakamega for the match against Western Stima. This is not ideal for long travel. Surely the sponsorship should also not merely cover the salaries but some of the basic amenities. It is possible to know how may games we shall play away and plan in advance on when the team travels, where they stay and all the other nitty grittys.
The other long term solution is to acquire a club bus.
Training Kit - Whilst the FB branch is doing its best to help the team by buying the bibs, it is important that the EC also looks at the presentation of the team. Why should players be pictured training in some Nairobi City Stars kits? See link here
Stadium - This is probably long term but it is important that we stop having this 'Big Team Syndrome' when we can not have a monopoly of the training pitch before matches. THE EC should always think of better ideas on how the team can lease a pitch and use it as the sole tenant. Currently, we play at Nyayo which is the home ground of another three or so teams. This is why sometimes we are shifted to City Stadium because we don't have a fixed abode!
Playing Kit - The EC is changing or planning to change the kit mid season. Hopefully, this isn't merely as a way or burying head under the sand on he issue of whether the previous jerseys were bought by JOS or by MSC. I have always said that if one feels sufficiently confident that they are in office legally, there is nothing that stops the EC from legally owning everything that belongs to the club. We fans can operate on rumours, but I expect the EC to know who actually purchased the kit that is currently being used? Who designed the kit? What the input of the shirt sponsors was? How much money came into the club (because those who bought were issued with receipts in the name of the club).
Hopefully, the EC did not just do away with the kit because the fans pressured them, or because they wanted to have nothing to do with the previous tenure. Any team needs continuity and JOS was wrong to change the kit in the first place but two wrongs never made a right! Just a thought.
My message is that the EC should concentrate on the gift instead of the gift wrapper!
4. Administrative
Replicas - Same as above. If the EC is in office legally, and I think they are, they should take over all processes. Write to all selling agents and tell them to deal with the EC as there has been a change of office. But if the reason to change replicas is fan pressure and the need to own the process of buying from inception, then we are on the wrong path once again and the next EC may well change the replicas just to show they can.
CEO - There doesnt seem to be new ideas from the CEO but a continuation of the previous ideas that were halted by the JOS team. This position wasnt competitively advertised in any event, and was tailor made for the CEO. Again, serious lack of professionalism by the EC. The questions that abound are: How much is the CEO paid? Who pays the salary of the CEO? Was this factored in when negotiating with MSC?
Club Office - The office of the club changes with each new EC. Once again, who pays the rent for the office? Is it in the name of the club? These queries may seem minor until the handing over fails to happen or some files are not handed over from the outgoing office or incoming office. Does the club has the files of the EC meetings during the JOS era? Can one peruse the files of the team at the offices? No need to *foot on this issue. The EC owes us a major change in thinking towards 'donated offices'.
Websites - There are three websites that confuse people. Does afcleopards.net now belong to the club after having been branded a Fans' website for the last one year? What necessitated the registration of allafcleopards.com? what are the efforts that have been made to get the administrator of afcleopards.co.ke hand over the site to the current office. What is the procedure to be used to decide on which is the official club website? Let the club do things above board!
Merchandising - The club needs to seriously ask itself 'why?' before it starts something. Remember, merchandise is bought by the fans so there is need to be frank when dealing with people's funds. Are we selling merchandise to boost the clubs finances? Are we selling merchandise to promote our brand, even if we make no money? What is the main purpose? So key holders, car stickers, albums, Ingwe Nites and even replicas may not necessarily make us millions of money but we have to be quite clear why we are selling them!
Duties - What are the duties of the various persons at the club? How come the CEO isn't aware that the tickets at the weekend had the website that is not the 'official one' and has to post something on the afcleopards.net to warn persons who may be part of the EC? Let the EC and CEO come out clearly on this so that we know the truth behind these shenanigans.
5. Deal With Mumias (refers to sponsorship) Firstly, it was quite good that the deal with MSC was signed as it took away a financial burden imposed on the team. But was an agreement signed? Has the new EC been able to peruse the agreement and are there clauses that need to be relooked into or do they agree with all the clauses?
Has the EC worked out a budget with MSC to be told what are the financial needs of the team.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are members of one family AFC Leopards and we have only two options;
1. we heal as a team
2. Die as individuals.
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Post by phil on Oct 1, 2011 9:58:12 GMT 3
The biggest derby in Kenyan football returns tot he City in the Sun tomorrow when Gor Mahia go head to head with a rejuvenated AFC Leopards. ;D This is the Gor Mahia Fans HAKA Officially launched on the eve of Kenya's Biggets Derby, Gor Mahia Vs AFC Leopards Lyrics
K'OGALO HAKA WORDS Wan Kogalo Hiiiiii Aaaaaaarrgh! Hsssshhhhhh!
SOLO: Abandu Kobiro utimo ang'ooo? ALL: Abandu Kobiro wamako kama! warodho kama! Wagoyo! Warodho! Wanyono kama!
Waan Kogalo Goor Mahiaa!
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Post by kipfirimbi on Oct 1, 2011 11:28:16 GMT 3
The biggest derby in Kenyan football returns tot he City in the Sun tomorrow when Gor Mahia go head to head with a rejuvenated AFC Leopards. ;D This is the Gor Mahia Fans HAKA Officially launched on the eve of Kenya's Biggets Derby, Gor Mahia Vs AFC Leopards Lyrics
K'OGALO HAKA WORDS Wan Kogalo Hiiiiii Aaaaaaarrgh! Hsssshhhhhh!
SOLO: Abandu Kobiro utimo ang'ooo? ALL: Abandu Kobiro wamako kama! warodho kama! Wagoyo! Warodho! Wanyono kama!
Waan Kogalo Goor Mahiaa! copycat wannabbes!! God help them..haka is an a maori war dance plagarised by the NZ all blacks actually deservingly and now this!! plagarised by some bogans in kenya hehehehehehe vituko...good for comedy, ORIGINALITY WORKS BEST THOUGH! Phil, Isnt there some luo war dance these skinny looking phonies fellas can showcase instead of plagarising the haka..
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Post by phil on Oct 2, 2011 16:45:39 GMT 3
Ingwe overwhelming K'Ogalo at Nyayo Stadium. Totally outplayed.
AFC 3 - 0 Gor
Na game bado!
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Post by b6k on Oct 2, 2011 17:10:54 GMT 3
Surprisingly enough I actually enjoyed that match. Gor fans started leaving after the second goal. It seems now you can start talk about fans coming of age.
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Post by mwalimumkuu on Oct 4, 2011 6:06:38 GMT 3
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Post by politicalmaniac on Oct 4, 2011 17:45:15 GMT 3
The biggest derby in Kenyan football returns tot he City in the Sun tomorrow when Gor Mahia go head to head with a rejuvenated AFC Leopards. ;D This is the Gor Mahia Fans HAKA Officially launched on the eve of Kenya's Biggets Derby, Gor Mahia Vs AFC Leopards Lyrics
K'OGALO HAKA WORDS Wan Kogalo Hiiiiii Aaaaaaarrgh! Hsssshhhhhh!
SOLO: Abandu Kobiro utimo ang'ooo? ALL: Abandu Kobiro wamako kama! warodho kama! Wagoyo! Warodho! Wanyono kama!
Waan Kogalo Goor Mahiaa! kie kie kie ;D ;D I got a pal to translate. hilarious! i loved it. But in the end the 3- nil victory was sweeeeet!!!
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man
Junior Member
Posts: 99
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Post by man on Oct 5, 2011 8:04:10 GMT 3
Lakini why was my beloved K'ogalo humiliated like this? Ai yawa!!
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Post by phil on Oct 20, 2011 22:31:16 GMT 3
At the instigation of Eugene Wamalwa and Bonny Khalwale, today AFC Leopards fans caused premature end of Gor-AFC match with the former leading one nil. This was the Mahujaa day Cup cum a KFL semi final match. www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000045269&cid=38After a lengthy period of keeping off local matches Raila, accompanied by Musalia and Nairobi Mayor George Aladwa were at Nyayo Stadium to witness Kogalo take on Ingwe. It was not to be. It's been a long time since yours trully had a taste of tear gas but today it just had to happen because AFC Leopard fans caused abandonment of an otherwise thoroughly entertaining and well attended match. What a pity! Khalwale was seen throwing stones and encouraging his friends to do likewise. Unfortunately one of the stones caught an AFC player who had to rushed to hospital with a serious head injury. Meanwhile, after the usual teargas, we were at Birongo Square buying drinks for those who stonned us. We are not die hard Ko'galo fans but we can afford a drink or two for our semejis, in-laws or mukhwasis. Teargas fumes brought back the million man match memories. ;D And we thought football fans had come of age!
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Post by phil on Oct 20, 2011 22:40:53 GMT 3
Lakini, enyewe, hawa ma Ingwelets better than Ko'Girlos. Ama, wana Jukwaa what say you? Teargas not regretted!
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Post by einstein on Oct 20, 2011 23:34:19 GMT 3
At the instigation of Eugene Wamalwa and Bonny Khalwale, today AFC Leopards fans caused premature end of Gor-AFC match with the former leading one nil. This was the Mahujaa day Cup cum a KFL semi final match. www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000045269&cid=38After a lengthy period of keeping off local matches Raila, accompanied by Musalia and Nairobi Mayor George Aladwa were at Nyayo Stadium to witness Kogalo take on Ingwe. It was not to be. It's been a long time since yours trully had a taste of tear gas but today it just had to happen because AFC Leopard fans caused abandonment of an otherwise thoroughly entertaining and well attended match. What a pity! Khalwale was seen throwing stones and encouraging his friends to do likewise. Unfortunately one of the stones caught an AFC player who had to rushed to hospital with a serious head injury. Meanwhile, after the usual teargas, we were at Birongo Square buying drinks for those who stonned us. We are not die hard Ko'galo fans but we can afford a drink or two for our semejis, in-laws or mukhwasis. Teargas fumes brought back the million man match memories. ;D And we thought football fans had come of age! Phil,Any evidence that it was not Gor fans who started throwing stones? I thought AFC fans NEVER throw stones!
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Post by phil on Oct 21, 2011 0:26:07 GMT 3
Phil,Any evidence that it was not Gor fans who started throwing stones? I thought AFC fans NEVER throw stones! No evidence of aggression from Ko'Galo fans whatsoever. How do you buy people who stone you beer? Bonny Khalwale is responsible for the melee. He conspired with Eugene to instigate the violence and incite the masses. Simply because Raila walked into the stadium at half time and he had to show Raila that he was also around.
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man
Junior Member
Posts: 99
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Post by man on Oct 21, 2011 9:02:31 GMT 3
Lakini, enyewe, hawa ma Ingwelets better than Ko'Girlos. Ama, wana Jukwaa what say you? Teargas not regretted! Wewe Phil wacha zako bwana. How dare you say that these Ingwelets are better than Ko'Girlos yet you only show a picture of an Ingwelet. Huo ni ungwana kweli? Tafuta picha of a Ko'Girlo and post it beside the Ingwelet and let the people decide. And don't just pick any picture.
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Post by topnotch on Oct 21, 2011 10:36:08 GMT 3
Phil 1. Raila did not walk in at half time. He came before the match, shook hands with the players and stood attention for the national anthem. 2. Bonny Khalwale sat behind Raila at the canopied dais. He did not throw any stone. The whole VIP section was peaceful. Trouble was at the opposite terraces. 3. Mike Barasa was not hit by a stone. He collided with the Gor keeper and both had to be taken off - Barasa straight to hospital.
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Post by nowayhaha on Oct 21, 2011 10:37:24 GMT 3
At the instigation of Eugene Wamalwa and Bonny Khalwale, today AFC Leopards fans caused premature end of Gor-AFC match with the former leading one nil. This was the Mahujaa day Cup cum a KFL semi final match. www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000045269&cid=38After a lengthy period of keeping off local matches Raila, accompanied by Musalia and Nairobi Mayor George Aladwa were at Nyayo Stadium to witness Kogalo take on Ingwe. It was not to be. It's been a long time since yours trully had a taste of tear gas but today it just had to happen because AFC Leopard fans caused abandonment of an otherwise thoroughly entertaining and well attended match. What a pity! Khalwale was seen throwing stones and encouraging his friends to do likewise. Unfortunately one of the stones caught an AFC player who had to rushed to hospital with a serious head injury. Meanwhile, after the usual teargas, we were at Birongo Square buying drinks for those who stonned us. We are not die hard Ko'galo fans but we can afford a drink or two for our semejis, in-laws or mukhwasis. Teargas fumes brought back the million man match memories. ;D And we thought football fans had come of age! Phil , Trying to spin the narrative? The truth is Gor fans started intimidating the AFC fans once the goal was scored which led to the melee . Trying to invoke the name of Khalwale and Wamalwa who received an arousing welcome from the Ingwe fans wont work . This is pure propaganda . Why didnt you mention the Ruto chants by Ingwe fans ? Especially to the Motorcade of Raila -Honestly speaking it had alot of people surprised .
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Post by genius on Oct 21, 2011 11:00:21 GMT 3
I was at the Stadium so allow me:
Gor scored the goal and a few Gor fans started celebrating quite close to the AFC fans. A few AFC fans got angry and started throwing stones at the Gor fans. A few Gor fans retaliated. Police came in and were successful in stopping the stone-throwing, I still wonder how stones got into the Nyayo Stadium. The fans of both sides were now agitated. The players of both sides appealed to the fans to restrain themselves and the fans stopped taunting each other. But a few AFC fans, not more than 20, insisted in throwing stones. When the police created a buffer between them and Gor fans so that it was impossible to throw stones at Gor fans, the hooligans started throwing stones into the pitch, injuring a Gor defender and making the linesman run away from the touchline. The ref tried to resum play more than four times, but every time play resumed, the same 20 or so AFC fans threw missiles into the pitch forcing the ref to end the game. KPL decided to award the match to Gor Mahia.
On the whole both Gor Mahia and AFC fans were peaceful. The trouble was caused by a group of 20 so people wearing AFC colours, As to who they were, nobody knows.
I still believe if the police had been better at their job, none of this would ever have happened. I still remember the site of people smoking bhang freeley in the Russia stand just 10 meters away from a group of 20 or so policemen. Secondly, the police using teargas against Gor Mahia fans who were peceful was unnecessary. Even the teargas used against the Leopards fans was excessive because only twenty of them were causing trouble, the other 5000 of them had no problem with the loss. If the police had just apprehended the 20 people, all would have been well. FIFA will definitely renew the ban on Nyayo Stadium.
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Post by phil on Oct 21, 2011 15:58:52 GMT 3
Thank you Genius,
Since when did celebrating a goal translate into provocation?
Those 20 fans you talk about are New-FORD-K hirelings. Eugene and Bonny wanted to prove that they are also men.
These two teams played just two weeks ago when AFC whitewashed Gor three goals to none. There was no violence and nothing untoward.
Hiring hooligans to come and jeer the prime ministers motorcade is very ancient politics. It never earns anyone any votes. Modern politics are issue based.
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Post by destiny on Oct 21, 2011 16:13:44 GMT 3
Lakini, enyewe, hawa ma Ingwelets better than Ko'Girlos. Ama, wana Jukwaa what say you? Teargas not regretted! HOPE THIS IS NOT A MARRIED MAN OUT WITH HIS "MPANGO WA KANDO" OUT TO HAVE SOME FUN IN NAIROBI WEST!! Mmmm the way that chick is posing her behind leaves a lot to be desired, now which married woman would do that? ?
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Post by beamer on Oct 21, 2011 17:28:49 GMT 3
Perhaps the leopards fans took literally the urge on the poster by their club before the match But on a serious note, looking at the background with which this fixture was played, there was always going to be tension. And as early as 2pm, I was informed that some people who had attended the Mashujaa Day celebrations had stayed put in the hope of not watching the game at 5pm for free. Apparently, though not verified, club scouts from both teams set upon them with whips. The atmosphere outside the stadium before the match was the usual calm especially from the elite fans as they took photos together at the Poolside Restaurant and near the stadium gates. Unfortunately, sometimes these gestures from the reasonable fans do not apply to all the fans, as some still manage to come into the stadium with rolls of bhang and smoke without any concern. Leopards fans were bereaved as they had lost 3 fans the previous weekend and thus a moment of silence was to be observed before the kick off. There were a few Gor fans who continued singing and dancing during the moment of silence which infuriated some Leopards fans. And usually, when fans from the two teams sing, it is stuff that even the hard hearted would cringe. A corruption of the Princess Jully song 'Dunia Mbaaaaaya, dunia mbaya!' into 'Waluhya wabaaaya, wanaua watu!' borders on the Munich Chants you hear at the stadia in Europe and which make clubs take stern action. Fast forward to the moment when Gor fans brought into the stadium a thick mattress cut in the shape of a coffin and singing a popular Luhya dirge. Of course, whereas normally this can be taken in jest, the timing with the backdrop of the huge poster of the three Leopards fans who perished over the weekend heightened the tension. And then Gor scored a beautiful goal. Dreadlocked Moses Odhiambo who is always referred to as Dube is a brilliant player and has been one of the stars of the 'derbies' this year. His performance even during the 0-3 defeat was admirable and last night, he was also quite entertaining capping it with a fine goal. And Gor fans rightly celebrated. And then they also wrongly celebrated with a fan carrying a flare running round the pitch up-to where the Leopards fans were seated. Even referees acknowledge this as provocation when they caution players who celebrate at the 'opponents' fans section. Mike Baraza received a caution when he scored the second goal during the league match against Gor when he celebrated at the Gor fans section. In this case, the Leopards fans pelted the flare carrying fan with stones. Speaking of Baraza, he then got a nasty injury in the D area and the match was stopped for a long time as the ambulance was driven right into the pitch. During such long stoppages in a match like this, there is always the temptation for fans to engage in some flexing of biceps and practice for the shot putt at the London Olympics. And of course stones rained on every decision by the linesman which led to the clash being called off despite pleas from both sets of players for fans to calm down. Eric Masika (that would be of Gor Mahia) went down clutching his face, and rather than sympathize, some Leopards fans threw stones to the pitch saying he was play acting. Well, at that point, I was out of the stadium faster than the velocity of the stones that flew. After securing myself in a safe location, I called a few friends who were calmly enjoying a beer back at the Poolside and joking that they were celebrating the end of a marriage. ' Ushemeji umeisha!' they laughed. I was informed that a few elements had started chanting Ruto! Ruto! and UDM! UDM! as the Prime Minister left. t wasnt clear who these were though it appears in Leopards itself there are divisions. The official website of the club recently had news afcleopards.net/index.php?id=704 of some persons taking advantage of the tragedy at the club to make 'political mileage' and on the eve of the match, one of the branches that has been flexing financial muscle announced they were giving out 1,000 tickets for free. Some commentators have indicated that doing this lets in hooligans who take advantage to gain free access to the stadium. That aside, one will remember the arguments that the Gor Mahia chairman Amrose Rachier made at the hearing of the abandonment of the Super 8 match against Ulinzi. Rachier had that stated the organizers of a match (KPL in that case, and FKL in this case) ought to have cleared the stadium of projectiles and debris and inspected persons entering the stadium to see they had no bottles or weapons. He also said the police who were deployed did not try at all to stop the fans from throwing objects to the pitch or did not try to arrest anyone; he also said that the club had demonstrated it tried to calm the fans by calming them down and their players were visible in calming fans so there is no issue of the club being responsible or negligent of its fans etc etc. With such arguments, Leopards could have Rachier to represent them at the appeal! Happily sanity prevailed and Gor have been awarded the match much to the chagrin of leopards fans who claim Gor shouldn't have been there in the first place having been eliminated by Congo United earlier on. For me, the key issue is about safely at the stadium. It appears that hardly a year after fans died in a stampede at the same Stadium, no corrective measures have been taken to assure fans of their security. There was talk about a Report on the stampede on 23rd October 2010 which was never released despite the Hansard reflecting that powers that be had ordered an investigation into the matter. Perhaps it was populist posturing that you get used to when you live in Kenya. Gate Numbers are now indicated on the match tickets but you can pretty match access the stadium from any gate despite it being clearly indicated on the ticket which Gate you should use. Just to try this out, I used gate 10 yesterday to get in though my ticket read Gate 9. Both queues were however quite short. Tickets dont show the sitting position though there was an attempt to mark the stadium. The same wasn't completed and there are no rows labelled or numbers of the allocated 'seat' like the movie theatre kind of thing. Some countries like Zimbabwe have managed to do this with numbers clearly indicated on the concrete slabs. Fan segregation is also lacking. The space between the terraces and the perimeter fence is used for all manner of things especially walking and dancing. Leopards fans dance to the isukuti and surely a football pitch isn't the place for such activity. When they venture to the opposing side and sing the initiation songs, it can be a huge irritant to any fan of the opposing side. Police inaction has been cited in many areas and at the football stadia it is also evident. A friend of mine once was shocked to be asked by a police officer: Which teams are playing? Surely there are pre-match security briefings that take place. The occasional stewards or marshalls by the fans are usually pathetic and it is upon the police to really step in and keep law and order. All in all, all is not lost. There are huge strides that have been made and pockets of the fans out to cause mayhem may be doing so in injury time, to use football speak. Gor fans are organized and recently, they were even arranging for he team to fly to Mombasa through their Facebook Branch. They have taken part in Community Social Responsibility activities with heir counterparts the Divas and continue to be the positive face of Gor fans. Leopards fans have formed a supporters trust, CLAWS Trust (or Club of Leopards Active & Wise Supporters) and have been involved in too many activities of a positive nature. They publish a quarterly fans magazine Ingwe Fan and have CSR activities too. It is ultimately these young fans who will change the mindset of old that rivalry equals enmity. In July, the two sets of fans even played a match before the match between their teams. So, the teams may have come of age after all, though there will always be sideshows and a glimpse into the past especially with politicians hovering over the teams. For instance, the sponsors of leopards are Mumias Sugar and the CEO Evans Kidero promised the team players Kshs. 10,000 each if they beat Gor in the League. www.futaa.com/football/article/Kidero-Ksh-200000-for-a-derby-win-for-AFC-playersHe fulfilled his promise when they beat Gor. Then he promised Gor players Kshs. 10,000 each if they beat AFC in the FKL Cup www.the-star.co.ke/sports/sports/44772-kidero-promised-gor-10k-per-player-if-they-beat-afcThat is right. The CEO of the sponsors of Leopards promised to reward the other team if they beat the team his company sponsors. And they did beat the Leopards! We truly have come of age!
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Post by roughrider on Oct 21, 2011 17:40:35 GMT 3
Thanks Beamer for that report!
Phil - be careful, that woman's behind could be fake. I hear that you can purchase accessories like those in the streets siku hizi.
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Post by beamer on Oct 22, 2011 17:53:11 GMT 3
I was at the Stadium so allow me: Gor scored the goal and a few Gor fans started celebrating quite close to the AFC fans. A few AFC fans got angry and started throwing stones at the Gor fans. A few Gor fans retaliated. Police came in and were successful in stopping the stone-throwing, I still wonder how stones got into the Nyayo Stadium. The fans of both sides were now agitated. The players of both sides appealed to the fans to restrain themselves and the fans stopped taunting each other. But a few AFC fans, not more than 20, insisted in throwing stones. When the police created a buffer between them and Gor fans so that it was impossible to throw stones at Gor fans, the hooligans started throwing stones into the pitch, injuring a Gor defender and making the linesman run away from the touchline. The ref tried to resum play more than four times, but every time play resumed, the same 20 or so AFC fans threw missiles into the pitch forcing the ref to end the game. KPL decided to award the match to Gor Mahia. On the whole both Gor Mahia and AFC fans were peaceful. The trouble was caused by a group of 20 so people wearing AFC colours, As to who they were, nobody knows. I still believe if the police had been better at their job, none of this would ever have happened. I still remember the site of people smoking bhang freeley in the Russia stand just 10 meters away from a group of 20 or so policemen. Secondly, the police using teargas against Gor Mahia fans who were peceful was unnecessary. Even the teargas used against the Leopards fans was excessive because only twenty of them were causing trouble, the other 5000 of them had no problem with the loss. If the police had just apprehended the 20 people, all would have been well. FIFA will definitely renew the ban on Nyayo Stadium. I think this is largely true. To quote a pictorial blog afcleopards.blogspot.com/2011/10/hooligans-at-afc.html
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