Having more Coast teams in KPL will cut huge costs

What you need to know:

  • Having more than two Premier League teams in the top-tier could reduce the teams’ expenses when they come down to the Coast since they would be assured of two or three matches at a go
  • Like Bandari FC Chief Executive Officer Edward Oduor correctly put it, teams travelling to the Coast for more than one fixture would save a lot especially now that the league has no sponsors

How I wish the Football Kenya Federation Coast branches could by now have realised their dream of having additional two or three teams in the country’s top league - the Kenyan Premier League.

That all the 20 teams have to travel for so many kilometres to the Coast to honour only one match is foolhardy and is part of the reason most teams have struggled to play Bandari Football Club at their KPA Mbaraki backyard.

As Bandari, we are not used to freebies and are, therefore, not excited that Chemelil Sugar FC donated to us the three points after they failed to travel to Mombasa for their league match last Saturday.

We have a very crucial Caf Confederation Cup play-off match against battle-hardened Horoya Football Club next Saturday. We would have loved to face Chemelil Sugar, who have always been worthy opponents to prepare for the continental assignment but that is now history.

Having more than two Premier League teams in the top-tier could reduce the teams’ expenses when they come down to the Coast since they would be assured of two or three matches at a go.

This used to happen when we had Alaskan FC from Malindi, Coast Stars, Mombasa Heroes and Bandari in the top league and this helped to cushion the teams travelling to the Coast for league matches.

It is, therefore, very sad that top Coast football officials have often engaged themselves in the politics of how Bandari FC can be run by the Coast community but have totally no clue how the two Coast teams Modern Coast Rangers and Coast Stima are performing in their quest for promotion.

LITTLE CHANCE

The two clubs are pathetically languishing at the bottom of the National Super League and have little chance of getting promoted in the near future, meaning that Bandari FC will still be the only team from the region in the top league for a while.

There is word on the street that the same officials who have failed to revive the once vibrant football activities at the Coast are positioning themselves to take up new positions at county level.

Apart from outgoing South Coast branch chairman Gabriel Mghendi who has been very busy with matters Bandari FC on how best it can be run and Secretary Lilian Nandudu, who has worked hard to develop women football in the region, I want to confess here that the majority of the branch officials disappeared immediately after elections and should not have any moral authority to gun for any positions in the next polls.

Like Bandari FC Chief Executive Officer Edward Oduor correctly put it, teams travelling to the Coast for more than one fixture would save a lot especially now that the league has no sponsors.

This, he says, will also reduce the number of trips Bandari makes upcountry and thus give the team a realistic chance of winning the league.

Meanwhile, let me also take this opportunity to wish Bandari the very best of luck when they travel to Guinea Conakry to face Horoya next weekend. I am confident the Dockers will win. The two friendly matches that they played helped boost the players’ morale.