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Yet another Mashemeji Derby ends in chaos

By ISAAC SWILA August 23rd, 2015 1 min read

A beautiful game of football involving giants Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards was abandoned in a cloud of chaotic scenes at the Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday evening.

Chaos that lasted 25 minutes erupted in the 64th minute when centre referee Raphael Nduati awarded Gor Mahia a penalty for a handball by Leopards captain Jackson Saleh.

A section of fans violently contested the decision, pelting match officials with all manner of missiles converting the match venue into a battlefield.

It took police long to swing into action to expel the yobs as running battle between the fans and law enforcers.

Daily Nation photographer Chris Omollo was injured in the ensuing melee.

STAND-OFF

Earlier at half-time, the two sets of fans clashed on the Russia section for about 15 minutes as police officers watched from a distance.

One Gor Mahia fan sustained serious injuries in the half-time melee and had to be attended to by the medical personnel before being rushed to the hospital.

The stand-off caused a delay in kick off of the second half before things went haywire after the penalty decision was made.

For the onset, a collection of many factors contributed to the inevitable abandonment of the match.

First, the gate tickets ran out as a huge number of fans were still waiting to gain entry into the venue. They eventually lost patience and forced their way in.

On the pitch Gor Mahia dominated the first half with Leopards goalkeeper Lucas Indeche being called upon from time to time to keep Ingwe in the match.At the time of the abandonment the match was scoreless