Football Kenya Limited has indefinitely banned the Nyayo National Stadium and City Stadium from hosting all football matches following the death of eight fans during a league match last Saturday.
Making the announcement on Tuesday, FKL chairman, Mohammed Hatimy, said the two stadiums will remain banned until they met specific safety conditions in accordance with Fifa Safety Regulations.
Some of these conditions include access to the stadium being facilitated by an efficient network of routes, a wall of at least 2.5 metres high enclosing the stadium, gates must be designed to withstand pressure from large crowds of people, approach roads and entry/exit points for teams and officials must be separate from those of spectators.
These requirements are clearly wanting from both facilities which will require a complete overhaul to comply.
Interestingly, FKL have been hosting international matches at the Nyayo National Stadium without adhering to the conditions they, ironically, have imposed.
A case in point was the recent African Cup of Nations qualifier between Kenya and Uganda at Nyayo Stadium.
The attendance was beyond the stadium’s carrying capacity, a gate was broken down while fans managed to jump over the perimeter fence inside the stadium after the match.
The FKL ban comes as a result of the tragic events on Saturday during a Kenyan Premier League match between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards when eight fans were trampled to death following a stampede.
The match easily recorded the highest attendance in a local club football encounter this decade but will be remembered for the inadequate handling that led to the charge by impatient fans seeking to gain entry to the stadium.
“A stadium may only be used to host football matches if the structural and technical conditions of the stadium complies with safety requirements,” Hatimy said.
The FKL boss said KPL must give a detailed report of why such a high risk match was played on a Saturday night.
Hatimy further questioned the competence of the match officials to handle such a tie after allowing it to kick-off given the circumstances.
Reacting to the ban KPL chief officer Jack Oguda said they had no option but to comply.
“We are affiliated to the FKL. Affected clubs will have to find alternative venues for their remaining league matches,” Oguda said.
Nyayo and City stadiums are home grounds for AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia, Tusker, Mathare United, Posta Rangers, Sofapaka, KCB and Mahakama.
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