Gor Mahia, Shabana league match leaves 72 injured
More than 72 fans were injured on Sunday following violence that broke out at Gusii Stadium during a Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) match between Shabana FC and defending champions Gor Mahia.
Despite Gor Mahia clinching a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Sylvester Owino header in the 80th minute, the highly anticipated “Nyanza Derby” descended into chaos as fans from both sides clashed before, during, and after the match.
The win saw Gor Mahia leapfrog Tusker to second place in the league standings with 53 points, while Shabana remain in fourth spot with 46 points. Kenya Police lead the log with 55 points after beating Kariobangi Sharks 1-0 at the Kenyatta Stadium with five matches till the 2024/25 season ends.
FKF in statement condemned the violence, and said is working closely with police and other relevant authorities to establish the circumstances that led to the unrest.
We have received confirmed reports from Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, RAM Hospital, Hema Hospital, Christamarianne Hospital, and the police, indicating that a total of 72 individuals were treated for injuries. Thankfully, no fatalities have been reported as of this evening,” said part of the statement released on Sunday.
“Decisive disciplinary measures will be taken upon conclusion of ongoing investigations.”
At Gusii Stadium, trouble began early as supporters fought over seating allocations at the terraces.
The terraces, which are generally meant for ordinary spectators and are labelled G1 to G13, are located directly opposite the VIP dais. Although the VIP section was open to fans of both teams, match organisers had allocated Shabana fans 10 ordinary stands and Gor Mahia fans only three.
The three stands proved insufficient for Gor Mahia’s large following, who filled them by 11 a.m. On noticing the imbalance, Gor fans began pushing into the Shabana-designated stands, sparking confrontations.
What started as a dispute over seating escalated into violence, with fans hurling stones across the stadium. The vibrant, carnival-like atmosphere quickly transformed into running battles as police struggled to restore order.
Several fans—many of them women—suffered injuries and were rushed to hospital in ambulances that had been stationed on standby.
It took more than 30 minutes to bring the situation under control. As a result, the 2 p.m. kickoff was delayed by 40 minutes.
Once calm was restored, match officials emerged from the tunnel and allowed the game to proceed, despite the lingering tension.
The match resumed with fans passionately cheering on their teams, but violence erupted again after Gor Mahia scored. Shabana supporters, accusing match officials of bias for awarding the corner that led to the goal, began throwing projectiles onto the pitch.
The game was temporarily halted for more than 10 minutes.
Attempts by Shabana coach Peter Okidi and his players to calm the crowd proved futile. Match officials were eventually forced to blow the final whistle early, handing Gor Mahia the win and all three points.
Even after the game ended, unrest continued. Shabana fans continued throwing stones and seeking confrontation with Gor supporters. Police responded by lobbing tear gas to disperse the crowd and safely escort Gor Mahia players from the venue.
The match had been clouded by controversy over the suitability of Gusii Stadium—whose 12,000-seat capacity many deemed too small to host a high-risk fixture of this magnitude. Gor Mahia had requested a larger venue, but Shabana insisted on playing at home.
For days leading up to the match, both sets of fans engaged in online banter, adding fuel to the fire.
“Fans from both teams have been engaging each other in online banters on who will have the last laugh. I suspect that could have also flared up the tempers coming into this match,” said former Shabana FC player Benard Pepe.
Before violence erupted, the stadium had been buzzing with energy. Kisii town came to a standstill as fans from both sides streamed into the venue as early as 7am for the 2pm fixture.
By 11:30 am, the stadium was already filled to capacity, with long queues of fans waiting outside.
Notably, this was the first time in Gusii Stadium’s history that pitch-side LED screens were used for advertising and endorsements.
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