Ruling on Sony-AFC Leopards match is suspicious

What you need to know:

  • IDCC dropped the Rip Van Winkle attitude and acted faster than many of us expected.
  • The disciplinary body in its wisdom rescinded KPL’s initial decision and ruled that the match be replayed at Awendo.

After last year’s Presidential General Election — a disputed contest that was settled by the Supreme Court — many Kenyans borrowed a leaf from the highest court in the land and have taken to spitting legal terminologies at every Tom, Dick and Harry.

Apparently, the precedent set by the Supreme Court is coursing through the veins of our rather clueless football administrators.

Last week it flicked its forked tongue into the cranium of the Independent Disciplinary and Complaints Committee (IDCC).

As such, reasoning has only come after a great verdict; the IDCC shall reason long after it has clogged the wheels of Ingwe’s campaign vehicle to league championship this season!

The IDCC is the tribunal for resolving disputes in the game of football managed under the auspices of the Kenyan Premier League Limited.

Disputes are very rare in the KPL but when they arise, this lethargic body takes its sweet time to resolve them and always gives its belated and inane verdict when it doesn’t matter anymore!

ACTED FASTER

Last season, Gor Mahia and Sony Sugar had the verdict on their abandoned match made towards the end of the league when Gor had already won the league.

This time round, again under the pressure of the same sugar men, IDCC dropped the Rip Van Winkle attitude and acted faster than many of us expected.

They ruled that the Kenyan Premier League second league match between Sony Sugar and AFC Leopards be replayed at Awendo Green Stadium.

The match had been scheduled for August 7, but was never played after the venue was changed to Afraha Stadium in Nakuru for what KPL termed as the tie being a ‘high risk’ hence could not be played in Awendo.

Sony threatened not to honour the match in Nakuru saying the fixture was their home match and must be played in Awendo.

KPL was unmoved and when the ‘Sugar Daddies’ failed to show up, the match was awarded to Leopards on a 2-0 basis. Sony would protest the decision by appealing to IDCC for redress, a judgment which made last Thursday.

RECINDED DECISION

The disciplinary body in its wisdom rescinded KPL’s initial decision and ruled that the match be replayed at Awendo thus taking back the three points Leopards had been awarded.

We respect the IDDC ruling but it is prudent at this juncture that we show all the content of their ruling:

They ruled thus: “KPL inspect Awendo Green Stadium and ensure it is suitable to host Premier League matches. Should Awendo be unsuitable then Sony will be obliged to host their match against AFC Leopards at Moi Stadium, Kisumu.

“The Kenyan Premier League shall reimburse AFC Leopards SC the expenses it incurred in relation to Match No. 158. In this respect, AFC Leopards SC shall present to the Kenyan Premier League proof of the said expenses by the 29th of August 2014.”

At the end they enforced the caveat:

“Should the (KPL) Stadia and Security Committee establish that Awendo Green Stadium is not a suitable and secure venue for hosting KPL matches, it shall clearly indicate what actions Sony Sugar FC must take to ensure the suitability of Awendo Green Stadium, and provide a time frame within which it shall ascertain compliance with the required actions.”

Fair enough. But I am afraid the ruling only hurled the ball back into KPL’s courts. What if KPL decides through its stadium organs that Awendo Green is not suitable and has never been suitable to host league fixtures?

What if Ingwe decides to lodge a successful appeal? Why did they assume KPL to be favouring Ingwe when Sony did not avail themselves at Afraha? What if the KPL is not able to reimburse AFC Leopards if the club appeals and does not meet the IDCC ruling of 29th August?

All these are grey areas but the most shocking thing is that like the Supreme Court, our IDCC shall issue a reasoned ruling on the case on August 29. All we heard was irrational.