NAIROBI, Kenya, May 8 – The Kenyan Premier League (KPL)has officially written a complain letter to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) complaining of what they have termed as the ‘un-procedural’ conclusion of the 2019/20 top flight season by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF).
In a letter to the acting CAF Secretary General Abdelmunaim Bah, the league managers have said that FKF acted out of it’s range of duty and defied a pact signed between the two organs that gave the league managers full authority to run the top-flight without interference.
“The Kenyan Premier League believes that FKF acted in blatant bad faith in disregard to stakeholder engagement to create a false impression of a force majeure in the absence of a CAF deadline for league winner submission and that FKF used the COVID-19 pandemic to effect some ulterior motives,” the letter written by KPL CEO Jack Oguda to CAF read in part.
FKF boss Nick Mwendwa last week announced the cancellation of all seven tiers of football in the country, invoking Article 2.3.3 of the football laws in the country, that gives way to end football in the case of unprecedented natural causes, also known as force majeure.
In ending the season, FKF said the standings of all leagues as at mid-season will be used to declare champions as well as relegate teams and promote others.
But KPL says that the Federation took a rushed decision and misinterpreted a circular from CAF that required its member associations to inform them of their plans to finish the leagues in relation to the Coronavirus pandemic that has halted football all over the world.
“We find FKF’s behavior repugnant and out of step with the good intentions of FIFA and CAF to address the unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic for the good of the sport we all love,” KPL further states in its complain letter to the Cairo-based African football running body.
Kenya became the first league in the East and Central Africa region to end its season. Tanzania and Uganda have hinted at a possibility of return while Rwanda are left in limbo with the government banning all sports activities until September 1.
Mauritius was the first African country to take action, cancelling its season before Guinea, Burkina Faso, Angola, Ethiopia, Congo and Liberia followed through.
