Football

KCB cruise to FKF finals as Kenya Police-AFC Leopards is abandoned due to crowd trouble

Police's Baraka Badi on the ball during Kenya Police vs AFC Leopards. Photo courtesy

By Michael Kirwa | Sunday, May 26, 2024

The Kenya Police - AFC Leopards match that was abandoned due to crowd trouble will proceed from the 60th minute tomorrow at the same venue but without fans.

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KCB cruised to the 2024 FKF finals after overcoming Kariobangi Sharks in a pulsating penalty shootout which ended 4-2 in favour of the bankers at the Police Sacco Stadium on Sunday.

The match had ended 1-1 after regulation time and extratime.

The dramatic finish caught fans unaware as the match was goalless until the 77th minute when KCB took the lead through Derrick Otanga.

Otanga's goal seemed to have guaranteed KCB victory but that status lasted only two minutes as Festus Omoto equalised for the 2018 FKF Cup winners in the 79th minute.

Neither team could find a winner after that, forcing the outcome of the match to be determined by the 12-yard lottery following 120 minutes of play.

Kariobangi Sharks had the last throw of the dice before the penalty shootout, replacing their starting goalkeeper Sebastian Wekesa with Kevin Ouru in a bid to win the shootout with a goalkeeper they felt is more experienced in stopping penalties.

However that gamble did not pay off and instead it was the KCB custodian Faruk Shikhalo that ended making the difference in the shootout.

KCB kicked first with Derrick Otanga converting his kick and when their turn to shoot came again, Henry Onyango put them 2-0 up to capitalise on Faruk Shikhalo saving from Geoffrey Onyango who had gone first for Kariobangi Sharks.

The next four kickers - Kevin Luke Otiala (Kariobangi Sharks), Danson Chetambe (KCB), Fredrick Alushula (Kariobangi Sharks), and Brian Ndenga (KCB) - made no mistake as they all converted their kicks.

With the score at 4-2, the decisive moment came when Stanley Wilson stepped to take Kariobangi Sharks' fourth kick and his miss sent the bankers to their second ever FKF Cup final, their first since 2004 when they defeated Thika United 1-0 in that year's final.

KCB will however have to wait tomorrow to know their opponent in the final, which be played on 29 June, 2024, as the second semifinal match between Kenya Police and AFC Leopards, which played at the same venue as a 3:30 pm kickoff, was abandonded in the 60th minute due to crowd trouble.

Police was leading 1-0 at the time of the abandonement with South Sudanese striker Tito Okello having given them the lead in the 7th minute.

The match was abandoned after an assistant referee was hit with a projectile from the crowd when he gave an offside call.

The referees retreated to the dressing room after that and with play not resuming after 30 minutes, the match was called off.

The federation confirmed that that the decision to abandon the match was taken to guarantee safety of the players, match officials, fans and support staff.