By ERNEST NDUNDA
Football players who use miraa (khat) and smoke bhang among other substances are in for a big shock.
Kenya Premier League Limited (KPL) announced yesterday that it would engage services of several doctors to carry out random doping for all Kenyan players.
“Doctors would be making abrupt visits to all the 16 teams in the Premier League for random checks on banned substances,” said KPL Operations, Logistics and League Liaison officer Frank Okoth.
“We have professionalised our Premier League and doping is among the many new changes that would be implemented this year,” said Okoth.
Okoth was speaking to players and officials of newly promoted teams: Bandari and Congo United at Sunrise Hotel in Mombasa.
The meeting was also attended by Fifa Referees Instructor Juma Kalume, Evans Mwachia, former Fifa referee, GMT Ottieno and Gishinja Njoroge, KPL website Managing Editor.
On the foreign players, Okoth said that teams intending to sign them must ensure they get work permit from the Kenyan government before they could sign contract.
FOREIGN PLAYERS
“It would could cost a club between Sh250,000 to Sh300,000 to sign a single player from outside the country as a work permit would be a compulsory for all foreign players,” said Okoth.
He said the high cost of a club signing foreign players would enable the clubs concentrate on local players thus exposing them.
On contracts, the Chairman of KPL Rules and Constitution Committee Ambrose Rachier said players under the age of 18 could only enter contracts for not more than three years.
“A player shall be free to conclude a contract with another club if his client’s current contract has expired or is due to expire in six months,” said Rachier, who is also the Chairman of Gor Mahia.
He warned clubs they could only conclude a contract with a player by informing the player’s current club in writing before negotiations.
“A player is free to join any club of their choice, but only during transfer period. KPL is ready to intervene should clubs fail to release a player.”
