Sports Disputes Tribunal dismisses KPL petition on 18-team league

The Sports Disputes Tribunal on Tuesday dismissed a petition by the Kenyan Premier League seeking to stop Football Kenya Federation from expanding the top tier league to 18 teams.

While making the ruling, the Tribunal chairman John Ohaga ordered FKF and KPL to form a Joint Executive Committee to discuss the "merits, modalities and mechanism" of expanding the Kenyan Premier League from 16-18 teams for the 2017 season.

Ohaga gave the two parties up to January 17 to report their findings.

The ruling in essence throws the back the ball to the court of the two protagonists to go to a round-table meeting to thrash out the finer detail of an expanded league.

FKF have been rooting for an expanded league of 18 teams while KPL has been adamant on 16.

The Tribunal’s directive come barely 24 hours after FKF relegated Thika United, Sofapaka and Muhoroni Youth for failing to comply to the Caf Club Licensing rules.

FKF president Nick Mwendwa hailed the ruling saying that they have been vindicated. “The Tribunal is clear that KPL is an agent of the federation and what we can do is discuss the modalities. We are happy with the ruling because it restores the role of the federation. We will abide by it and KPL has to abide by it,” Mwendwa said.

“We are now discussing not whether it is 18 but the modalities but we also still have another process which is going on (Caf Cub Licensing) and it is now clear that we are going to have a 15-team league," Mwendwa said.

KPL CEO Jack Oguda did not respond to our queries but KPL Chairman James Musyoki said: “I’m out of Nairobi and I’ve not heard any news on the ruling. I however believe in the rule of law and we will abide by what the Tribunal says.”