
The Mashemaji Derby, one of the biggest football rivalries in Africa, has had unforgetful moments, both bizarre and usual.
From a chicken head being found in the middle of the pitch to the claims of Gor Mahia supporters sneaking a human corpse into the AFC Leopards’ dressing room - this derby keeps getting juicy every season.
However, the story of a bird which flew into the middle of the playing ground 48 years ago, is perhaps the strangest experience that has ever occurred in this fixture.
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According to Gor Mahia FC, the white dove flew into the pitch during the halftime break and pitched camp at the centre.
"In 1975, during a derby match, a white dove perched right at the centre of the pitch during half time - Gor fans claimed it was a fan while AFC fans claimed it was witchcraft.
"With tension in the air and chaos lurking, police had to save the situation by arresting ‘Otieno Ndege’, as the bird was later known," part of the statement from Gor Mahia read.
The fact that it failed to fly away, forcing an inspector of police to enter the field alongside two other law enforcement officers and seize it, continues to baffle many people until today.
Since Laban Otieno set a new record on that fateful day by becoming the first player to bag a hat trick in the Mashemeji Derby, he was nick-named “Ndege” after the white dove.
On the other hand, the famous dove earned the byname “Otieno”.
Otieno is still the only player to have ever scored three goals in the history of the mashemeji derby. Thanks to Otieno’s heroics, Gor Mahia thrashed Ingwe 5-1 in a one-sided encounter.
Did the white dove influence the match? This question is and would forever remain a mystery.
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