The age old demon that is suspect officiating has come back to haunt local football in the country with stakeholders in the industry now demanding urgent action.

National Super League (NSL), the second most superior league in the country has of late witnessed a couple of complaints from clubs and fans, putting in the spotlight the officiating standards generally. It is alleged that some rogue officials are notorious for mishandling matches because of bribery since the referees payment is no longer done by the federation but by the clubs themselves. The issue is threatening to cripple the league which is run by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) with no end in sight.

Questions have recently been raised especially in the last week fixture between Modern Coast and newcomers Northern Wanderers where the latter was denied what looked like an obvious goal and later on a penalty call. Complaints also were raised in the past fixtures between Kenya Police and City Stars alongside Vihiga Bullets and Shabana where match officials were accused of lacking consistency.

A senior official of a top NSL club who spoke to People Sport on condition of anonymity based on the sensitivity of the matter has derided the federation for doing little to curb the matter.

“It is frustrating and demoralizing that a team can practice for a full week only for some shoddy officiating to destroy all that in a matter of just 90 minutes. People cannot keep complaining and nothing is being done so the Federation must simply be alive to these concerns. We are saying irresponsible officiating is totally unfair,” bemoaned the irate official.

In the era of technology, most clubs are suffering since they have no video evidence to back their claims. However the Federation through its Complaints Committee has stated that they are always willing to listen and address issues arising. FKF Leagues and Competitions Manager Frank Ogola has urged clubs not to moan on social media but to come forth with credible evidence. “We cannot deal with hearsay; that is not the right route. Anybody with a formal and credible complaint will be heard because Competitions are about fairness. We always advise clubs on the procedure so this is nothing new but we undertake to follow up and find facts.”