FKF, KPL deserve rare pat on back for calendar shift

What you need to know:

  • This meant that they were playing match-fit teams while they themselves were chasing fitness
  • Finally, the solution has been arrived at and this season began on Saturday and will run until May
  • We suppose the Cup of Nations showcase will this time attract the whole world
  • We have taken the right path and soon, we will see how Kenya will benefit from this sane calendar

It was like a breath of fresh air when we finally learnt that the Kenyan football calendar was going to change.

We had the disadvantage of running our seasons parallel to the rest of the world.

Whereas all the other countries start their season in August and end in April the following year, ours ran February to November. The disadvantages of this system were that our clubs used to suffer during continental duties since they would start their campaigns when the Kenyan league was in recess.

This meant that they were playing match-fit teams while they themselves were chasing fitness. The same goes for the national team duties. Players would be taken from their clubs to join the Harambee Stars camp while their clubs also needed their services. It was hectic to say the least.

Several people voiced the same opinion but the disarming answer or question to the question was: What formula shall we use to get the calendar changed? Others even suggested that we stop the league for a full year before picking up the world calendar. That would have been crazy and insensitive to the clubs and players who are only paid if they turn out for their clubs.

Finally, the solution has been arrived at and this season began on Saturday and will run until May.

Next year it will begin in August and run in tandem with the rest of the world leagues that matter. The same rigidity was with the Africa Cup of Nations that used to be played in January. This has been changed doing much good to the African players plying their trade in Europe and elsewhere.

Hitherto, many clubs were wary of signing African players because once their countries qualified for the Cup of Nations, these players would come back to represent their national teams leaving their clubs depleted just at the time the players were needed most.

This disparity forced some players to feign injuries and skip the Cup of Nations in the most unpatriotic manner. Others were suspended while some even opted to “retire” from international football just so that they give their attention to their clubs.

All that has been righted and we suppose the Cup of Nations showcase will this time attract the whole world since it will hog all the attention because there will be no other competitions running parallel to it. In the end, Caf and the continent will benefit more.

We have taken the right path and soon, we will see how Kenya will benefit from this sane calendar.

It is our most sincere hope that we will not regress on this promise to deal with the football calendar and that we will never again revisit this issue in these pages but only to laud them. Football Kenya Federation and the Kenyan Premier League deserve a belated pat on the back for this move.