EXCLUSIVE: How a career-ending knee injury thrust Omondi into the world of refereeing

Whenever Meshack Omondi, would watch his childhood friends expressing themselves on the pitch, tears of bitterness emanating from dashed dream to professional football would freely flow down his cheeks.

Omondi, the current youngest male top-flight centre referee was a promising full-back right until he picked a slight knock on his knee in December 2012 while featuring for his boyhood club Green Army, a Kisumu based outfit in one of the many festive season football tournaments organized every year at the grass-root level.

By the time Omondi suffered the knock, he was a form two student at the Baba Dogo-based Genesis High School and the first choice right back at Dandora Hotspurs, a club that gave him the platform to sharpen his football skills while in school. 

What appeared to be a slight knock proved to be the genesis of the dashed football dreams when Omondi returned to Hotspurs after the schools reopened in 2013 as he experienced excruciating pains in training and could no longer make the mercurial runs on the flanks and deliver pin-pointed crosses to the forwards as usual.

Ordinarily, the 25-year old would take pain killers in a bid to suppress the pain and return to the pitch but after a month, the pain became unbearable and was advised to quit and concentrate on his studies. 

Against the doctor's advice, Omondi would sneak into the pitch but he learnt his lesson the hard way after the knee began swelling, sending cold shivers down his spine over his health. 

"I had a dream of playing at the top level but it was smashed after sustaining a knee injury while in school. I unsuccessfully tried to overcome the injury in vain and ended up quitting prematurely. It was painful to see my friends play while I couldn't," he regretted. 

Realizing that the door to professional football was slowly and painfully shutting, a resentful Omondi reluctantly transferred from Genesis High School to St Georges Bar Andingo Secondary School but little did he know that the door of refereeing would miraculously open immediately after school.

After writing his final exams in 2014 at the last born in a family of twelve returned to Nairobi craving to stage a comeback to the game after two years in the cold but the nagging knee injury would not allow him.

Every cloud has a silver lining and Omondi’s was unearthed by FIFA accredited whistler Anthony Ogwayo who recommended him for a referee training program at Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA). Interestingly, he did not experience pains during the training which entails physical fitness.

The program conducted by Rwandese national and FIFA accredited instructor Evode Ntizimira alongside Emmaculate Okorot and Stephen Oduor saw Omondi initiated into a new trade at a relatively young age.

To apply the skills, he had acquired from the experienced instructors, Omondi, fresh from graduation subsequently ushered into action early in 2015 when he was selected to officiate in the Norway Cup League in Mathare.

"I had been a big fan of Ogwayo's officiating and made an effort to know him at a personal level when I still in school. After I realized the knee would not allow me chase my dream, I ended up venturing into refereeing under the guidance of Ogwayo. He helped me get a slot at MYSA and worked hard in class and in the physical training hoping to emulate him," he said.

The refereeing badge partially consoled him from the lost bid to professional football and would be absorbed into the game fully after earning another year in the Cup the following year which perfectly ended in his favour as MYSA named him the referee of the year.

With the blessings from Ogwayo, Omondi secured promotion to the Nairobi branch league the following year only for his prowess to catch the eye of the then referees boss Richard Obare who elevated him to the Division Two league after a few months.

Obare who is a serving member in the referee’s committee was impressed by his calls in the fourth tier and would invite him for a Physical Endurance Test (PET) training in late 2017 which he excelled and handed him the mandate to man matches in the Division One in January 2018.

Omondi who is commonly known as Kobilo Junior began life in the third tier aware that making the right calls would inch him closer to the top flight.

His sharp rise did not stagnate as he Obare alongside his successor Sylvester Kirwa promoted to the National Super League in January 2019, a year in which he also officiated his first Women’s Premier League match.

“My journey in refereeing began as a joke but out of passion and the desire to emulate my mentor, Ogwayo I navigated all tiers within a short period. When I realized I will never play football again, I was determined to remain in the game and when the opportunity came, I took it. Navigating from grassroots to the national level was a tough journey but through watching my seniors and strict adherence to the principles of officiating I managed it,” he said.

It is in the second tier; the upcoming whistler leveraged on the live matches to showcase his skills.

Favor was once again on Omondi who would juggle between the NSL and WPL matches after he was thrust to the top flight the same year, making his debut when Tusker confronted Nzoia Sugar at the Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos.

“Getting a promotion to the top league remains by best moment. I used to honor both NSL and WPL appointments without giving excuses and ensured that I diligently dispensed justice to all teams and after few months, I was thrown up to the big league,” he remarked.

 TOUGHEST MATCH OFFICIATED

Omondi who is a part-time chef at Geo Club considers an NSL match pitting Wazito and Shabana as his toughest.

The duel staged at Camp Toyoyo in 2019 saw Shabana fans storm the pitch protesting the eight minutes he had added and consequently saw Wazito level matters in the dying seconds of the game. Shabana lodged a complaint at FKF but was quashed basing on Omondi’s defence.

“That was the toughest match I have ever manned. Shabana scored early and resorted to time-wasting. To achieve justice, I calculated the number of minutes their goalkeeper spent on the ground and had to sum them up after the regular time. I am glad FKF vindicated me at long last,” he disclosed.

 FUTURE PLANS

Omondi will be eyeing the FIFA referee badge in five years’ time. The former Dandora Ohangla player also dreams of officiating at the Africa Cup of Nations as well as the CAF inter-club tournaments in the future.

“The ultimate goal is to appear at the World Cup but before then, I will be hoping to be accredited by the global body within the next five years. Once I get their badge, the door to the international stage will open,” he added.

Bio

Name: Meshack Omondi

Date of birth: 01/01/1996

Place of Birth: Kisumu West

Education

Nyakongo Primary School (2001-2009)

Genesis High School- (2010-2013)

St. Georges Bar Andingo – (2013-2014)

Former Clubs

Green Army Kisumu

Dandora Ohangla

Dandora Hotspurs

Role Models

Anthony Ogwayo

Davis Omweno

Pierluigi Collina