NAIROBI, Kenya, February 2 – Kenyan Premier League (KPL) chairman Ambrose Rachier has maintained they will not lower their stance to maintain the status quo of the league format.
This comes just as FKF passed resolutions last week to cede the power to run the league from KPL and announced formation of a new body to run the league together with an affirmation the new season will have 18 teams.
Speaking to Capital Sport, Rachier said until they see the report from FIFA’s independent consultant, then they will not be willing to engage FKF in talks and maintained the league should have 16 teams.
“We will maintain our ground and continue with our plans to run the league. Our league starts on February 21 with the 14 teams and the two which will be forwarded for promotion. If we do not find common ground with FKF on the matter, then we will run our league with the 14 teams together with City Stars and Nakuru All Stars,” Rachier said.
Contrary to reports from FKF that they had shared the report with him, Rachier said no one has seen the contents of the said report, adding that even the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Arts Dr.Hassan Wario had asked for the same and was yet to be furnished with it.
“I want to appeal to the FKF president, Sam Nyamweya to release the FIFA report which contains recommendations for the 16-team as opposed to the 18 team league. We are aware there are certain serious recommendations and there is need to see it and act on it. We wonder why the report is being kept under the pillow when it was meant for all the stakeholders,” Rachier who also doubles up as Gor chairman declared.
Last week, KPL CEO Jack Oguda affirmed they will not be standing down on their ground instead questioning FKF’s SGM agenda on passing the said resolutions.
“We maintain our stand and the league will go on as planned. Why is FKF not releasing the report even after FIFA asked them to do so? Why didn’t they table it at their SGM?” Oguda posed.
The KPL governing council meets Tuesday in Nairobi and among the biggest agendas on the table for them is the recent developments from FKF.
“We see no reason or justification for an 18-team league by the federation. Why this year, why not next year. We maintain, arising from the Cairo agreement of 2006 and with the wisdom of FIFA, CAF, KPL and the federation at that time we saw need for a lean league.
We need convincing reasons why we should depart from that practice and FKF are not giving us that.”
“Why does Nyamweya want to take us back to the old days and drag our football back to the dogs? We would like all this to be solved but if bad comes to worse then we would rather play in the KPL. Let him just share the FIFA report with everyone and look into ways of implementing. He asked for FIFA to intervene and when things did not go his way, he stamps an iron fist on everything. It is not right,” one of the KPL club coaches told Capital Sport.