Two league goalkeeping ‘errors’ that raised red flag on Zoo FC

Part of the proceedings of a match that Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League side Zoo FC are accused of manipulating can, at best, be deemed suspicious.

Football's world governing body Fifa on Tuesday relegated Zoo FC to the third tier league of Kenyan football after “individuals belonging to the top-flight club were deemed to have manipulated league matches between 2018 and 2020.

“As a consequence, the club has been held responsible for the behaviour of its members," said Fifa in a terse statement on Tuesday.

Nation Sport has accessed footage of the goals in one of the games investigated by Fifa.

The match, involving Zoo and Wazito, was played at the Kenyatta Stadium, in Machakos, on March 1 last year.

Wazito won this league match 4-1 but it is evident the two goalkeepers put up a far from convincing performance.

In the run-up to one of the goals, Wazito keeper Kevin Omondi appears to let a feeble cross go past him, without any attempt to stretch his hand up to claim the ball.

His actions leave Zoo attacker Collins Neto a clear run into an empty goal and with the easiest chance of tapping the ball home

Moments later, Zoo keeper Vincent Misiko also allows a feeble Mungai Kiongera shot to pass underneath his body as his team concedes a very soft goal.

"A lot will be asked about Vincent Misiko's performances today," the TV match commentator of the day  Jacob Mulee, who is the current Harambee Stars coach, was heard saying.

The other match that was subjected to investigations was between Zoo and Sofapaka played in Machakos on January 27, 2019.

But Zoo, have, in a statement, maintained their innocence and suggested the club in fact acted as a whistle blower.

"It is our belief that the report was inadequate and its findings doubtful. We in fact called upon the Fifa Disciplinary Committee to review the facts and the evidence over and above the said report. We have since prepared an appeal,” the club said in a statement.

Meanwhile, former FKF president Sam Nyamweya has called on the authorities to investigate the matter.

"The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) be immediately notified of this development and move with speed, in collaboration with Fifa and Interpol, swing into action with a view of getting to the bottom of the matter and apprehending the culprits.”

Nyamweya accused the federation of not putting in place measures to curb the vice of match-fixing in Kenya.

This is the third time in a year that Kenyan football has been named in a match fixing case.

In March last year Fifa slapped four Kakamega Homeboyz players, Moses Chikati, Festus Okiring and Festo Omukoto with four year bans each, while their teammate George Mandela was banned for life.