Gor coach blasts KPL over fixture changes
What you need to know:
- “On Wednesday, our match against Sofapaka was to start at 3pm, but it was rescheduled to 4pm and communication made when we were set. It has happened in the past and this trend has to stop,” said Polack in an interview with Nation Sport on Thursday.
- However, KPL CEO Jack Oguda defended the changes saying they are always within 24 hours and are necessitated by the use of sporting facilities by the county governments.
Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack has lashed out at the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) management for revising its fixtures, saying it is giving the team difficulty in honouring fixtures.
Polack lamented at the change of match kick-off times and appealed to KPL to give out outlined fixtures at the start of the season, instead of carrying out extensive changes that affect the planning of teams.
“KPL should operate just like other leagues in the world. We are at times inconvenienced by the changes on the fixture, time and venues. They should be serious and do their work diligently instead of expecting clubs to adopt the changes hurriedly,” said Polack.
The British coach was referring to the changes in their fixtures against Chemelil two weeks ago and Sofapaka on Wednesday.
“Against Chemelil Sugar, we camped in Homa Bay and were prepared to travel to Kericho where the match was to be played, only for KPL to change the venue in the evening and take the game to Kisumu.
“On Wednesday, our match against Sofapaka was to start at 3pm, but it was rescheduled to 4pm and communication made when we were set. It has happened in the past and this trend has to stop,” said Polack in an interview with Nation Sport on Thursday.
However, KPL CEO Jack Oguda defended the changes saying they are always within 24 hours and are necessitated by the use of sporting facilities by the county governments.
“The changes sometimes can’t be avoided because the facilities are always being used by the counties. For Gor Mahia’s case, the stadium was hosting another event and that is why we changed the time. Against Chemelil, we were informed that Kericho Green Stadium won’t be available and that is why we had to move the game to Kisumu,” he said, while agreeing that it has affected other teams as well.
Polack further claimed that the decision by KPL to slate the Top Eight competition in the June when the season shall have ended, will affect preparation for teams participating in continental competitions.
He insisted that KPL should rethink the decision because players will be exhausted even before the new season starts.
The league ends on May 22 and Polack wants players to be given time to rest then proceed for pre-season, before the new season commences in August.
“KPL should know that players cannot play for a continuous cycle of 12 months without resting. How can you fix a competition after the league has ended? Players need to be resting and preparing for the new season. Maybe this could be the reason for poor performances in Caf competitions,” he said.
On Top Eight, Oguda revealed that the dates were tentative and could be changed to within the season if a new sponsor comes in.
