An official's attack plunges Kenyan football into turmoil.

Kenyan media condemned the assault on a football referee that occurred the day before, as he was chased and struck by dozens of supporters in Nairobi after awarding a penalty during a crucial match for a place in the Kenyan Premier League. “What a shame,” lamented the daily The Standard, illustrating its article with a photo of John Sulwe grimacing as a man wearing a yellow cap punches him in the face. The newspaper “The Star” described a match that “descended into chaos.”

Shocking images have been widely shared on social media. They show Mr. Sulwe awarding a penalty against the Kariobangi Sharks, who quickly surrounded him, pushing him, while the crowd flooded into the Ulinzi Sports Complex, a stadium located in Nairobi. At that moment, the score was 2-1 in favor of the Sharks, the team based in the Kenyan capital.

If Mombasa United, the team from Kenya's second city, manages to convert the penalty, they will be in a strong position to secure promotion to the top division, having already won the first leg 2-1. However, the score would never change: the match was interrupted shortly after, in the 68th minute, as Mr. Sulwe ran away under the protection of stewards. Before that, the referee in the red shirt appeared panicked, pursued by supporters, several of whom struck him in the face. A plastic seat thrown in his direction narrowly missed his head.

Neither the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) nor the two teams involved have yet responded to this incident, which The Standard described as a “disgraceful end to a match that was supposed to resolve a conflict that has held Kenyan football hostage for months.”

The Kariobangi Sharks, owned by a former FKF president, finished 16th and were the first team relegated in the previous Kenyan Premier League season. They contested their relegation to the second division as well as Mombasa United's promotion in court. After a prolonged deadlock, the often scandal-plagued Kenyan Federation decided to organize two playoff matches to resolve the situation.