Caf fines, bans Muguna for NAPSA chaos
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Gor Mahia players Boniface Oluoch and Kenneth Muguna with sanctions after they were found guilty of attacking a match referee in a recent continental match.
The duo has each been fined Sh1.6 million and banned from competing in any CAF inter-club competition for four games.
But Muguna, a Harambee Stars midfielder who is set to leave the Kenyan champions when his contract expires in September, has consistently pleaded his innocence when asked about his contribution to the melee after the match.
And in addition to these sanctions, CAF has also ordered ‘broke’ Gor Mahia to immediately repair the damage caused by its players at the Heroes Stadium in Lusaka in the same match.
“Gor Mahia are instructed to immediately check the cost of the damages incurred by NAPSA Stars and reimburse the cost of damages caused by the players,” the ruling by Caf’s disciplinary board members Raymond Hack, Issa Sama and Ali Dijae, reads in part.
These sanctions stem from the second-leg match of the Caf Confederation Cup play-off between the Kenyan champions and Zambian pensioners in February of 2021.
The high-stakes clash in the Zambian capital turned rowdy in injury time after South African referee Lebalang Mokete awarded the home team a penalty which was converted by veteran striker Emmanuel Mayuka for a two-all draw.
Thus, the Zambians qualified for the lucrative knock-out stage courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate score having won the first left 1-0 in Nairobi.
The penalty was awarded after Gor defender Geoffrey Ochieng was adjudged to have tackled the advancing Jimmy Mukeya, and the decision appeared to irk the visiting team whose players protested before the spot-kick was taken.
And since the penalty was the final kick of the contest, agitated Gor players appeared to confront Mokete after the final whistle, forcing the security detail to intervene.
This is the second time in as many years Gor, which has struggled to honour matches, pay players and coaches on time in recent times, is in trouble with the authorities.
In 2019, Caf imposed a Sh750,000 fine to the club when it was found guilty of failing to control its players in a Caf Confederation Cup game against Congolese side Daring Club (DC) Motema Pembe in Nairobi.