It's hard cheese for Kenyan champions Gor Mahia yet again.
On Tuesday, midfielder Kenneth Muguna and goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch, suffered a catastrophic blow when Confederations of African Football slapped them with a humongous Sh1.6 million fine each over gross misconduct.
In further grave sanctions, the continental football governing body went ahead and prohibited the duo from participating in the next four Caf inter-club matches.
Caf found Muguna and Oluoch culpable of instigating verbal and physical attacks against South African match referee, Lebalang Mokete, during their Confederation Cup qualifying encounter away to Napsa Stars of Zambia in February.
A video footage captured the two leading their team-mates in bitter protests, following a contentious penalty awarded in stoppage time that brought K’Ogalo's maiden title dreams to a premature end.
Caf have also accused Gor Mahia players of breaking three windows of the stadium dressing room. The body further instructed Gor to assess the extent of damages incurred by Napsa Stars and reimburse them accordingly.
As much as Muguna and Oluoch may have had a credible reason to wear their hearts on their sleeves, the development is regrettable and absolutely in bad taste. Their callow action only lends credence to the age-old myth that violence is synonymous with K'Ogalo.
However, it would be callous to castigate Gor Mahia in the absence of an in-depth root cause analysis. There have been numerous complaints lodged against match officials who make outrageous calls on the pitch which merely serve to cast aspersions on the nature of their credentials.
As Caf accelerate their efforts in nipping hooliganism in the bud, the same enthusiasm should be channelled towards reigning in on unscrupulous match officials whose controversial calls whip up unnecessary emotions on the pitch. Unfortunately, Kenyan referees share the blame.
Ironically, Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca have a bone to pick with Kenyan referee Peter Waweru, whom they accuse of displaying blatant bias in their Champions League assignment against Orlando Pirates.
In their protest letter to Caf, the North Africans highlighted Waweru’s glaring errors that influenced the outcome of their Confederation Cup quarter-finals tie.
Raja have lashed out at Waweru for ruling out their goal in the 24th minute after adjudging their player to have scored from an offside position and later denying them a penalty following a clear handball offence in the 48th minute.
While both incidents paint Kenyan football in bad light, they also encapsulate the real foes of football — hooliganism and poor officiating. Referees and players are frenemy rivals, who keep on hurting each other.
Any form of violence meted out on match officials is abhorrent and Caf most certainly deserve a pat on the back for taking decisive action to curb the vice.
That notwithstanding, equal measures should be initiated to discourage the recurrence of such ugly scenes by ensuring those assigned to officiate are equal to the task.
The governing body must drop the yellow streak and devise innovative ways of killing two birds with one stone.