Club contract expiry: KPL players stare at bleak future

With leagues in Kenya suspended indefinitely due to the spread of coronavirus, most Kenyan Premiership players are staring at a bleak future.

Contracts of several players are set to expire at the end of the season, and with the league in limbo, many are fearing they will be out of a job.

“We are not sure what will happen now. We have basically been rendered jobless. Even before the league was halted the payments were never regular and my contract ends in June, I am not sure if I will ever get paid especially for the period that the league will not be in action,” an AFC Leopards player, who sought anonymity, told Nation Sport.

The government recently announced that it will provide Sh100 million from the Sports Fund to cushion musicians and artists during this tough period and the player also wants sportsmen to be cushioned.

“The government should have at least forwarded a portion of the money to all clubs in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) and other sports that have been affected by this pandemic to pay their salaries. In the KPL only teams owned by companies such as KCB FC, Bandari and Tusker are assured of their salaries at the moment,” the player said.

Fifa, in a communique to all federations on Monday, urged all football teams to extend contracts of players beyond the end of the season until the leagues had concluded.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly changed all the factual circumstances around football for this season. So, Fifa, together with the stakeholders, has come up with some practical ideas and proposals to tackle these new circumstances,” read a statement signed by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

“Expiring player contracts usually end when the season ends, with a termination date that coincides with the end of the season. With the current suspension of play in most countries, it is now obvious that the current season will not end when people thought it would.

“Therefore, it is proposed that contracts be extended until such time that the season does actually end. This should be in line with the original intention of the parties when the contract was signed and should also preserve sporting integrity and stability.

“A similar principle applies to contracts due to begin when the new season starts, meaning the entry into force of such contracts is delayed until the next season actually does start.”

Fifa has encouraged clubs and players to work together to find solutions during the period when football is suspended.