Kenya: Referee brutally beaten during match after awarding a penalty (video)

Kenyan football is in shock after scenes of unprecedented violence occurred during a crucial match for promotion to the first division.

The referee of the match, John Sulwe, was cowardly attacked by angry players and fans.

It was a match fraught with danger. On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the stadium at the Ulinzi sports complex hosted the decisive playoff match for promotion to the Kenyan Premier League for the 2026/2027 season.

For both Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United, the situation was clear: a victory by at least one goal was imperative to secure their place in the elite.

With the very last minute of regulation time played and the Kariobangi Sharks leading 2-1, the fate of the match changed.

In a contentious incident in the penalty area, the referee, John Sulwe, penalized a foul by a Sharks defender and unhesitatingly pointed to the penalty spot in favor of Mombasa United.

This decision immediately sparked fury among the Kariobangi Sharks players. Within seconds, the situation spiraled out of control.

The players vehemently contested the whistle before coming to blows.

Enraged fans breached security, stormed the pitch, and directly attacked the official. Violently assaulted and beaten, John Sulwe owed his life to the swift intervention of security personnel.

Hastily escorted to the locker room under the glare of cameras and the stunned gaze of the crowd, the bloodied referee was unable to resume the game. The match was definitively abandoned.

These deplorable images quickly spread across social media in East Africa, provoking widespread outrage among football fans.

Despite the exceptional seriousness of this security incident and the physical harm done to the referee, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has still not issued a public statement. No official communiqué has yet been released to condemn the violence or announce any potential disciplinary sanctions.

The case is likely to cause a major stir in the coming days, as exemplary sanctions against the Kariobangi Sharks club are being strongly demanded by observers of continental football.

Referee chased like a thief after a Kenyan league playoff match 🤦🤦 https://t.co/I5vTWJojNz

— 𝕄𝕣 𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕓𝕖 🇨🇩 (@Patrick_keebe)

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