Were You There?

Entering the compound, one could hear people screaming, probably shrieking. People were huddled in little groups of about seven talking in nervous, animated voices. Everyone was nervous. That's probably why some were screaming/shrieking. A bit further into the compound, it was clearly visible. I had never seen anything like that at that place.

The place? Nyayo National Stadium. The time? Thirty minutes to kick-off. The occasion? The slaying of the Swazi by our very own Harambee Stars. Now, back to our story.

I had never seen people queuing at this stadium, let alone the long wavy queues that now snaked their way all over the compound. Everyone had a nervous smile and all conversation ultimately led to the exclamation: "We must win today!" But the general mood was gay, people were friendly and everyone was eager for the start of the match. So I bought my ticket and headed on into the stadium, passing through the tightest security check in Kenyan Soccer History (they wouldn't even let you go in with a bottle of water!)

The inside of the stadium was simply marvelous. By the time I had got in, close to every seat was already taken. The stars were on the pitch warming up, and a Mexican wave was making rounds amongst the seated fans. Some of the fans ( those from the VIP area) were getting some stick from the other fans for killing the wave once it got to them. They promptly got in on the act and the wave made complete rounds in the stadium. The response from the fans was heavenly : the whole place seemed to erupt in joy. I bet the Swazis already knew they were in for a bit of a thrashing!

Hardly had the game started when the guy over the loudspeaker announced that every single ticket was sold and the stadium was filled to capacity. I don't think that has happened in my lifetime. The fans were super, we sat through a good quarter of an hour's drizzle without even twitching a muscle at the thought of the rain (hehe) and cheered on our team, who weren't playing very well till then. Some fans were moving round the stadium motivating the rest of us and getting sections of the stadium loud and boisterous. Every attack by the stars was cheered on loudly. I was seated behind the goal which Kenya was defending and, hearing nearby fans shouting instructions to Origi (our keeper), I joined in. "Keeper, wacha kuenda sana. Rudi!" The uneventful first half came to an end.

If you haven't been to a packed stadium, with the Harambee Stars playing, and scoring the opening goal then you've seen nothing yet! Forget all about Alfred Mutua's car stickers - this is what patriotism is all about: erupting into wild jubilation with 30,000 fellow country men, and hugging everyone in sight. Mariga, for scoring the goal, must have been the most popular Kenyan at that moment. Everyone around me was singing his praises. Our nerves definitely calmed down a bit after that goal. They calmed down even more when the Swazi response was seen, was measured, and was found wanting. Now sections of the fans were shouting, "Oboya! Oboya!" They wanted him brought on. The pressure paid off and Mulee brought in the youngster. Almost immediately, he scored. This time, the fans did cheer, but not as much as they did earlier. It is interesting to note that Deno(Oliech) was playing real quality football and was deeply involved in every good Kenyan move and both goals. France definitely made him better. By now, we all knew the match was now all but over - the Swazi could not come back. They didn't.