I learnt the other day that you can sell almost anything provided you were sufficiently (philanthropic? lol ) no sufficiently passionate about it. One other thing that I was disabused off when i was young was watching football 'live' in a stadium especially if that football involved a team called Gor Mahia. Our abode (lol) in Kisumu was only just about 500 meters from the stadium and from our house I could make out the goings on. The problem with Gor and their fans was that they would stone the opposing fans whether they won or not. especially if those fans were Ingwe fans. But it has been argued that the rivalry was good for football. Even those days when Gor won, us little children we would get sweets from total strangers just in perfect mood.
But I would only 'watch' from the safety of the radio. However this recent past my good natured neighbor has been selling to me the idea of watching the once great team under flood lights 'mwomo timbe'. I have been escaping with some strong excuses but the other Saturday when K'Ogalo was playing relegation bound KCB I had ran out of options or maybe I just had to succumb to the steady persuasion of the passionate fan.
The fees for the VIP area was only 200, stands were going for 100 shillings each. Inside a small crowd had started gathering. The Gor match was still one and half hours away. Ulinzi, the current league leaders were in the pitch with Mahakama but the Gor fans were all over singing their hearts of for Gor. when the players finally came there was simply a rapture. songs and ululations and the annoying vuvuzela. whoever invented that horn should be expunged from the face of the earth and even history.
The songs were simply hilarious but the goals refused to come. And I told myself it could be because the fans had mostly corrupted nice God songs into support songs with very dirty lyrics. As the match wore on they started losing their patience and you could hear shouts at the coach, the players the ref etc. I wished they would score just to see how the fans would react. The god of football did finally smile and they scored through a penalty. The frenzy, the celebration, the shouts, the dance the songs! but ouch the vuvuzelas! From there I too joined the dances coz they became too moving to resist!
The match ended 2-0 in their favor but still Ulinzi was 3 comfortable points ahead. However from the party in the stadium I told myself that such a weekend was worth repeating.
Just an observation, there seemed to be quite a sizeable number of dark Gor fans holding hands of extra light (white) mzungu girls there.
its also during that same match that a young dude lost his life, i hear he was trying out some stunts, i do not know
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