Leopards hooligans in hot soup for attacking keeper Matasi

Posta Rangers head coach, Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno has called on Football Kenya Federation and the Kenyan Premier League (FKF) to take stern action on the AFC Leopards hooligans who assaulted his goal keeper, Patrick Matasi on Wednesday.

Ugly scenes greeted the end of the KPL game that ended 1-1 at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium after Ingwe ruffians attacked Matasi, a former player at the Den, on the pitch before later accosting him at a bus stop in Nairobi on his way home.

“These incidents must stop before someone dies on the pitch. Matasi was doing his job and does it mean that someone cannot perform against his former club? If that is the case, we should also have beaten Ian Otieno,” the incensed Rangers boss told Citizen Digital.

“FKF and KPL should look into the so called stewards and their role inside the perimeter of the stadium. They insist they should be allowed inside but they are the ones starting these incidents and action needs to be taken soon before someone loses their lives,” he charged.

“They did not end on the pitch. They later attacked him at the bus stop and this morning (Thursday) he reported the case at Langata Police Station and went to hospital. He was badly hurt,” the former Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars coach added.

FKF communications boss, Barry Otieno, said they would wait for the KPL disciplinary process to be exhausted before determining their involvement.

“Fans cannot be coming to a game expecting to win every game. This has to stop,” the bitter tactician who sold current Ingwe first choice keeper, Otieno urged.

KPL CEO, Jack Oguda, said they are willing to assist the keeper should he file a complaint with them.

“This is a police case and on our side, we are waiting for the match officials to file their report to see whether they captured the incident. Law enforcement will help in identifying the attackers,” Oguda declared.

This is the second unsavoury incident blamed on Leopard’s stewards this season after their first leg clash against Ulinzi Stars at the Mumias Sports Complex was abandoned with 10 minutes to go when the soldiers were awarded a penalty with the game tied at 1-1.

Fans stormed to the pitch and attacked match officials with the club stewards doing little to contain the situation that saw the club docked three points by KPL’s disciplinary body.

The incident also saw their sponsorship with a betting firm briefly suspended in April.

FKF’s Referees Committee chairman, Tony Kweya, called on Ingwe to help in identifying the rogue stewards.

“Not all stewards are bad. They are there to safeguard the wellbeing of players. But if stewards are there to complicate the lives of players and other officials, then the teams should help us to identify them so that we can ban them from coming to our stadium,” the Western National Executive Committee Member told.

Leopards Team Manager, Joseph Milimu, apportioned the blame on Matasi alleging he lit the touch paper when he insulted Ingwe fans by showing them the middle finger.

“I blame Rangers and its management regarding security forces they had deployed to man the match. I talked to Posta Rangers Organizing secretary, and he told me he had organized for 100 security officers. I did not see the 100, in fact, I remember counting only 20 officers.

“Everywhere, all fans, if you don’t prevent them, they will find themselves in the playing field. So the home team did not have enough security to have prevented the fans from going to the pitch. What Matasi did, was wrong, that was incitement,” Milimu further claimed.