Leopards Walk Out Of Sony Replay Over Poorly Equipped Ambulance
15th April 2019
KPL had ordered the two clubs to repeat their fixture rained off on Sunday at Awendo Green Stadium
- Leopards had taken the lead after three minutes of the original fixture at the same venue on Sunday through star midfielder, Whyvonne Isuza, but the game was abandoned due to a heavy downpour that rendered the match unplayable
- It remains to see how KPL will rule on the fixture since it is not the first time Leopards and Sony have been involved in a dispute
- Three victories in a row have powered Leopards from closer to the bottom to 13th on the SPL logs on 27 points, seven adrift of Sony who are seventh
NAIROBI, Kenya- AFC Leopards SC players on Monday morning walked out of the pitch in protest after home team Sony Sugar FC 'failed to provide and equipped ambulance' for their rescheduled SportsPesa Premier League (SPL) clash at the Awendo Green Stadium.
Leopards had taken the lead after three minutes of the original fixture at the same venue on Sunday through star midfielder, Whyvonne Isuza, but the game was abandoned due to a heavy downpour that rendered the match unplayable.
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The Kenyan Premier League (KPL) rescheduled the fixture but the game failed to proceed when Leopards, who are in the hunt for a fourth SPL victory in a row decided to walk of the pitch, sparking a dispute with the Sony fans who allegedly held them 'hostage' according to the 12-time league winners.
"The hosts do not have a well equipped ambulance. Security is also not enough for the match, we'll have to wait for more policemen," Leopards posted on their Twitter handle.
"AFC Leopards walk off the pitch in protest. The hosts haven't yet provided an equipped ambulance," the club added on the same platform an hour later before alleging the decision did not go down well with Sony supporters.
High risk
"Our players finally leave the pitch after being blocked for an hour by the Sony Sugar FC fans. The club captain Enock Agwanda had to intervene," the visiting team claimed.
"Match Delayed for 45 minutes and finally not played due to missing a resuscitator equipment. AFC Leopards did protest and after consultations, KPL orders match to be played under protest both parties consent to it but AfC Leopards decline to play," Sony fired back later Monday on their Twitter account.
"Sony Sugar vs AFC Leopards was rained off and will be replayed tomorrow (Monday 15th April) from 10 AM at the Green Stadium in Awendo," the KPL announced on Sunday.
It remains to see how KPL will rule on the fixture since it is not the first time Leopards and Sony have been involved in a dispute.
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In 2014, the second leg match between the two clubs sparked a long-running dispute that till today, the final result has never been established.
The match had been scheduled for August 7, 2014 but was never played after the venue was changed to Afraha Stadium in Nakuru for what KPL termed as the tie being a ‘high risk’ hence could not be played in Awendo.
Sony threatened not to honour the match in Nakuru saying the fixture was their home match and must be played in Awendo.
KPL was unmoved and when the Sony failed to show up, the match was awarded to Leopards on a 2-0 basis. Sony would protest the decision by appealing to Independent Disciplinary and Complaints Commission for redress, a judgment which saw them win and order a replay but Leopards petitioned Football Kenya Federation (FKF) who then called off the rearranged fixture.
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Three victories in a row have powered Leopards from closer to the bottom to 13th on the SPL logs on 27 points, seven adrift of Sony who are seventh.