KPL’s decision to impose hefty fines on clubs an ill-advised move

We have recently awoken to the fact that Kenyan clubs are impoverished and in need of cash.

The players go without allowances or pay for months; fears of go-slows and boycott threats haunt us all the time not to mention the fact that the "top flight" league is split into two.

A number of teams honour their away fixtures with a lot of financial strain while others even can’t pay for hotel accommodation after the matches and have to be bailed out by well-wishers.

In fact, if you are keen enough while watching a KPL clash, you shall hear a loud silent growl which goes: “Moooooney, moonnneeey”.

That is not all. You see players running in the pitch with washed out jerseys with frayed collars; overused shoes; crumbling shin guards and stockings riddled with holes.

We believe that we cannot get any lower than that — things can only get better since we have reached rock bottom. But we are wrong; we always seem to find an even lower level, perhaps aiming for the core of the earth!

Money is the root cause of our teams’ misery. Some of them have beseeched sponsors to see the wisdom of sponsoring them and have even gone ahead in trying to promote business products to supplement their earnings while others have been lucky to get funding from respectable corporates. That much we appreciate.

FRIDAY DEADLINE

So it was shocking to see KPL dishing out fines left, right and centre last week. The fines have been meted out to 15 of the 16 teams in the league, the only exception being Western Stima.

These fines had a deadline of Friday last week and the status report from KPL to the clubs in our possession does not divulge what shall be done to the clubs if the do not pay the sums.

The "crimes" committed by these clubs are mainly out of negligence of some officials. Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards were punished Sh60,000 and Sh50,000 for not submitting line ups to KPL broadcast right holders on time.

But why should one team be fined heavily for the same mistake?

Gor were again fined Sh100,000 because their coach Frank Nuttall did not appear for a mandatory post-match interview with the league broadcasters.

For ignoring an order to submit the 2015 Authority Document, 12 clubs — apart from Bandari, Gor, Tusker and Stima — have been fined Sh50,000 while Chemelil Sugar, City Stars and Muhoroni Youth were fined Sh20,000 each for late arrival of an ambulance in their respective home matches or for the absence of a properly equipped ambulance.

Seven other clubs were fined Sh90,000 while Chemelil and Sony Sugar were fined Sh30,000 each for failing to submit the club referee assessment form which is a requirement for all clubs after their respective league ties bringing to Sh1,560,000 the amount expected in the KPL account by Friday.

It is expected that these clubs will make mistakes when we take into account the characters that run them but what we find irksome is the fact that KPL dishes out fines to outfits that are struggling even to honour their fixtures for lack of money.

At a time when supremacy battles have taken centre stage in Kenyan football, we expected a better judgement from KPL especially since the clubs face many financial challenges.