KPL OVERSIGHT ON SONY SUGAR vs AFC LEOPARDS

by
Collins Okinyo
October 15, 2014

By Fredrick Nadulli aka Razor,

From elite European leagues to nondescript third world championships,the spirit of fairplay holds sway for equality to prevail and be seen to prevail.As a matter of fact,the FIFA slogan clearly points out ‘Fairplay,for the good of the game’.

For a championship to therefore have respect and credibility,all participants and stakeholders must have no qualms in matters organisation,officiating,fairness,decisions et al.Once seeds of doubt are planted,uprooting them becomes a herculean task.

HIDE AND SEEK

The Kenya Premier League enters week 27 this weekend but two teams have played a game less.Sony Sugar and AFC Leopards are locked in a bitter tussle with the KPL,the body responsible for running the league,over the simple matter of match venue.

With the championship on its homestretch and all teams in dire need of points,this ugly spat threatens to leave the KPL with serious egg on the face.

In league competitions,teams play half their matches away from home and play host to the remaining half.

Unless otherwise stated,and mostly after serious breach of security,matches may be moved to other venues deemed safer.Awendo Green Stadium has not come in for any special scrutiny as regards (in)security.Up till now,Sony Sugar have ably hosted all their home matches at their Awendo stadium.

Until the league body deemed it unsafe to host Gor Mahia.For the record,champions Gor have a massive following.However,arm-twisting Sony to play their home match against Gor in Nakuru opened up a window that KPL is finding somewhat less easy to slam shut.

Other ‘big sides’,chief among them AFC,now want to take full advantage of that and play at a ‘safer’ venue,miles away from the Awendo fortress.Unfair advantage if you ask me.For those not in the loop,KPL ordered hosts Sony to play in Nakuru.They dug their heels and stayed put.AFC made the trip and were awarded maximum points.

Sony appealed,succeeded,and had the fixture rescheduled.Awendo was picked as the venue and the Cats have refused to play ball.To them,the issue was done and dusted ages ago.They will not budge,they maintain.Which begs the question,why did the organisers remove the match from Awendo in the first place?Nothing major has changed between the initial date and the replay date.

Sadly,it shows a serious case of indecision on the part of KPL,a big blunder.AFC may now argue that since Sony played Gor in Nakuru,they might as well follow suit and make the journey.They will claim they also command a massive following that Awendo cannot accomodate.

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

It is the responsibility of a host team to provide adequate security for a fixture to materialise.A venue can only accomodate its stated capacity.The world over,if a match is oversold,no more people are allowed in,under any circumstances.

No official reports have come out to suggest Awendo is not fit to host AFC,or even Gor for that matter.Bending the rules for others is setting up a serious precedent that may morph into a deadly monster,a latter day ‘animal farm’.The ground should be level for all participants to give the championship credibility and respect it deserves.

KPL are so far doing very well.They must not let such oversights drag them back.

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Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com