Again, CAF Fines Kenya Over Safety Concerns
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Kenya will receive another fine over crowd safety and security breaches, a football governing body said Wednesday, with officials promising to prevent chaotic scenes outside stadiums with extra security.<\/strong><\/p>\n It is the first time three east African countries \u2014 Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda \u2014 have hosted the ongoing African Nations Championship, but the historic moment has been overshadowed by long delays over the stadiums\u2019 readiness and now unruly spectators.<\/p>\n Crowds have stormed Nairobi\u2019s Kasarani Stadium without tickets at previous matches involving Kenya, with videos on social media showing people chaotically streaming into the facility being shared \u2014 and condemned \u2014 widely online.<\/p>\n The continent has a deadly history of football crowds losing control, with 140 people dying in a stampede outside a Guinean stadium last year.<\/p>\n The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has already fined Kenya \u2014 imposing a $17,500 fine\u00a0on Monday \u2014 and limited the crowd size ahead of their match against Zambia on Sunday.<\/p>\n CAF\u2019s disciplinary board said there had been \u201cmultiple safety and security breaches\u201d at the Kasarani Stadium, stating that it had \u201cfound Kenya guilty and imposed a fine of\u00a0$50,000\u201d.<\/p>\n In a statement online, CAF warned Kenya must meet safety and security requirements \u2014 advising additional security at matches \u2014 otherwise the country\u2019s games may be relocated \u201cto an alternative venue\u201d.<\/p>\n Sports minister Salim Mvurya said that they had assured CAF they would comply with international standards.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have taken a senior security meeting this morning with the senior ranks in our police service, and we have agreed that we will put extra measures to ensure we secure Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n Mvurya said there would also be increased checkpoints on the roads approaching the stadium.<\/p>\n He also acknowledged many Kenyan football fans would not be able to access the stadium, announcing the establishment of six \u201cfan zones\u201d across the capital.<\/p>\n Fan violence and stadium stampedes across Africa have led to the deaths of hundreds of supporters over the last decade, including in 2020 when seven fans died in a stampede in Kenya.<\/p>\n AFP<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n