Why feuding bodies need to close ranks
Kenya Premier League (KPL) CEO Jack Oguda. The rescheduled Kenyan Premier League fixture between Sony Sugar and AFC Leopards was Wednesday called off at the 11th hour after the later refused to honour the fixture. PHOTO | FILE |
What you need to know:
- KPL officials and their FKF counterparts should also take this opportunity to revisit this agreement, and agree on and implement changes that will ensure the competition continues to run smoothly.
The sooner this impasse between the Kenya Premier League (KPL) and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) regarding the composition and structure of next season’s Kenyan Premier League is amicably settled, the better for all stakeholders involved.
Being a direct livelihood for some 800 people is without doubt a vital brand in Kenya.
Over the last few years, the league has provided short term employment opportunities and provision of entertainment, alongside other benefits surrounding it like the hundreds of millions of shillings pumped into the game through sponsorship, gate collections and sale of merchandise.
The net effect of the league’s impact has been so significant that contemplating life without its benefits is near impossible.
But how could this impasse be solved? In simple terms, KPL is simply an affiliate of the national body FKF. Its official mandate involves running the top flight football competition, and it strictly reports to FKF.
KPL came into existence thanks to the famous Cairo Agreement involving the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) of the then Kenya Football Federation (KFF) and KPL, supervised by officials from Fifa, Caf and the Government through Sports Minister Maina Kamanda.
This agreement signed on January 18-19 2006, unanimously confirmed that KPL will organize and manage the Premier League, but under the overall jurisdiction of KFF and Fifa.
RAFT WRANGLES
The Cairo talks and consequent agreements came about following a raft of wrangles between the clubs and national body in the preceding years.
Curiously, one of the agreements in this gathering according to records at our disposal was that “KFF-KPL and JCC unanimously confirmed that the 2006/2007 Premier League will consist of a maximum of 18 teams.
The teams were; Agro Chemicals, Chemelil Sugar, Coast Stars, Gor Mahia, Homegrown, Kangemi United, KCB, Mahakama, Mathare United, Mathare Youth, Mumias Sugar, Red Berets, Sher Agencies, Sny Sugar, Thika United, Tusker, Ulinzi Stars and World Hope.
Fast forward and eight years later, it is important to note that KFF is no more, and has since been replaced by FKF. KFF officials at the time including Mohammed Hatimy and Titus Kasuve have also exited the scene, so has then Sports Minister Maina Kamanda.
One of the ways to settle this matter is for FKF and KPL under advise from a group of experts like say the recently installed Sports Disputes Tribunal, to revisit the Cairo Agreement as a beacon to unlocking the stalemate.
KPL officials and their FKF counterparts should also take this opportunity to revisit this agreement, and agree on and implement changes that will ensure the competition continues to run smoothly.
