By Peter Ochieng
Kenya Police FC are through to the final of this season’s edition of the Mozzart Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Cup after beating AFC Leopards 1-0.
The second semi-final match played at the Police Sacco Stadium on Sunday was halted at the 60th minute, due to an injury sustained by Samuel Kuria, the second assistant referee. Kuria was struck by an object hurled by a fan.
At the time of stoppage, the law enforcers were leading 1-0 courtesy of a Tito Okello’s goal.
FKF Leagues and Competitions Committee made a determination on the abandoned semi-final clash, directing that the game be played for 30 minutes on Monday morning, starting at the 60th minute.
“The match shall resume from the 60th minute on Monday, May 27, 2024, at 11:00 AM, maintaining the score at the time of interruption. The match will be played behind closed doors at the Police Sacco Stadium,” ruled the committee.
The match resumed as scheduled on Monday, as Police FC shut doors to deny AFC Leopards an equaliser. Police FC coach Abdul Iddi Salim lauded his charges for the superb display.
“We were well prepared since knew the match today will be tough, and I laud my boys for maintaining their composure as they played under pressure to win. Our only focus now is to lift the title, we know our opponents KCB are tough, but we are optimistic of winning,” said Salim.
On the other hand, AFC Leopards Chairman Dan Shikanda blamed FKF’s Leagues and Competitions Committee for failing to make proper decisions during controversial matches.
“I can tell them for free, their Leagues and Competitions body is letting them (FKF) down. It should have a mixture of people. We can’t have two or three people just deciding this is the verdict of this game,” said Shikanda.
KCB and Kariobangi Sharks played to a 1-1 draw in regulation time, with back-to-back goals from KCB’s Derrick Otanga in the 77th minute and Kariobangi Sharks’ Fortune Omoto in the 79th minute. After another stalemate in extra time, KCB won 4-2 via penalties to book the final spot. The final will be played on June 29th, 2024, with the winner getting a ticket to represent Kenya in the Confederation Cup next season.