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KENYA
NIGERIA
As a football fan, the worst thing you can witness is hooliganism.
It is never something you want to be associated with, it is henious and a backward stance to take.
If there is a single thing that has stalled the gains made in football, especially in Kenya it is holiganism.
Loss of lives, destruction of property, injury to individuals.. it is a bad vice.
It is something that cannot be tolerated at all. Never.
Happened before
Sadly, it is something that has happened in the game all over the world; we witnessed bits of it in Euro 2012. It has been a part of the game.
Here at home too, it has ocurred, severally.
As you probably know, I support AFC Leopards and we have been a part of it before. There is no hiding away from it, as are our rivals Gor Mahia.
There is no finger pointing here, it has happened before, we can all agree.
Which is bad because the two biggest football clubs in Kenya have that reputation, of being spoilers and sore losers, which is what we have been trying hard to change.
Tough ask
The Kenyan Premier League Top 8 clash between the two clubs scheduled for the weekend might not take place.
There are plenty of reasons why the AFC Chair Alex Magelo has refused to honour the match, which is understandable.
He made many promises to the fans and vowed to protect the club to the end, unless some recommendations the club made were resolved.
He has been put in a position which he does not like at all. If I were in his shoes, I would be troubled; to protect the interests of the club or forget all those and move on.
It is a tough ask for him.
Forgive and forget
I personally would like the match to go on, because it is football, a game.. It should be played.
Though I understand where the club is coming from with it's desicion.
I am for forgiving and forgetting, giving others a chance, just like we have been given before when we had our own problems.
That is the way I feel it should be looked at.
But it is just my opinion.
Preach peace
At the moment, there is a joint forum on social media site Facebook called Gor Vs AFC fans, which is running a campaign called Football is a game hooliganism is a shame.
I beleive that the real fans want to see the game go on and be played.
Because at the end of the day, we all celebrate one thing; the game of football.
So let us give it a chance, let us give peace a chance.. let the game of football prevail.
The writer is Faraj Faluma the Claws Trust head of Social Responsibility.
