Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier has faulted Football Kenya Federation’s (FKF) decision to fine the club and AFC Leopards over their decision to boycott the Mashemeji Derby.On Saturday, the two rival clubs snubbed their match that was scheduled for the Thika Sub-County Stadium they instead went to Camp Toyoyo to play a friendly game that Gor Mahia won 1-0. The two teams were protesting failure by their federation to pay FKF Cup winners and runner’s up monies.On Sunday FKF responded by fining the two clubs a total of Ksh10 million to compensate for the losses incurred in preparing for the game. Leopards being the home team are to pay Ksh6 million while Gor Mahia will part with Ksh. 4 million. in addition, FKF suspended Ingwer chairman Dan Shikanda and his Gor counterpart Ambrose Rachier for two weeks pending further investigations.BREAKING: Betking terminates the Kenya premier league sponsorship deal as misappropriation allegations against Nick Mwendwa escalate. Mwendwa on Sunday fined Gor Mahia and AFC leopards a total of kshs 10 million for refusing to play the mashemeji Derby on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/1G7EswrT0D— Africa News Network (@AfricaNewsKE) August 2, 2021 Rachier has now come out guns blazing. He says the due process was not followed by the federation in fining and suspending them. He added that they were not given a chance to be heard before the judgement was passed.“We ought to have been given an opportunity to be heard after a charge has been preferred…. The letter dated 1st August says ‘We are going to get charges to be framed’ so how do you begin to suspend somebody even without having framed a charge? There is a disciplinary committee that is supposed to deal with us and it is at that time that we will know what the claim is about and the particulars of the claim of what we have done but where are we, we have been sentenced. Even in any criminal case that you know about, a charge will be read to the accused person and say you are charged with this offense then you are asked guilty or not guilty then you say I am not guilty then you go through a hearing process,” he said.“What you do is tell us what you did, give us an opportunity to respond, then you find us guilty then you fine us. So how do you arrive at a fine without hearing them out,”During the suspension period, the two chairmen are not allowed to conduct any club business.
