Kenyan Premier League Limited mid last month invited bid for broadcast rights of the Kenya’s topflight for 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons as the current partner Bamba Sport was running out of contract.
But according to a high placed source, the league’s management body no longer holds the rights as they had sold them to rights broker Andrea Francesco Silva who later sold them to media mogul Patrick Quarcoo.
Patrick runs Radio Africa group that owns Bamba Sports.
“I’ve seen signed and stamped documents granting the rights to Andrea Francesco Silva, from 2018 to 2022, that were ratified by both the Football Kenya Federation and Ambrose Rachier for Kenyan Premier League,”
“All costs were paid up front by Silva, who then sold the rights onto Patrick Quarcoo of Bamba Sports for the same amounts,” the source told Soka25east.
According to the deal, KPL is to be paid as follows;
2018: Kshs 154m
2019: Kshs 169.4m
2020: Kshs 186.34m
2021: Kshs 204.97m
2020: Kshs 225.45m
However in an apparent change of heart, KPL has written to Silva “rejecting” the arrangement and has gone ahead to open a fresh bid for the same rights.
“Whoever buys KPL rights will end up in court. Silva and his lawyers are waiting,” the source added.
A source at FKF that did not want to be mentioned was equally perplexed at KPL’s move.
“The deal that was negotiated was above board and for the first time free to air, pay television and online rights were sold separately unlike in the previous deal whereby everything was sold at once.”
KPL announced a sixth month free to air deal with Bamba Sports mid this year worth 36.7m as stopgap measure to cover for South Africa’s Supersport which left after ten years citing breach of contract.
