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The Nairobian

GOTV Shield tournament on schedule, FKF insists

Football

By Gilbert Wandera | Aug 10, 2015

**AFC LEOPARDS- GOR MAHIA 2013 GOTV SHIELD A model stands next to 2013 GOtv Shield at Nyayo National Stadium on 17/11/13. AFC Leopards were crown the Champion.PHOTO:BONIFACE OKENDO**

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has confirmed that the GOtv Shield will resume on August 29.

But first, the rescheduled match between AFC Leopards and Ligi Ndogo will be played on August 15.

In a statement to sponsors SuperSport, the federation explains that it was forced to reschedule the matches and it was therefore unfair for the federation to be blamed for the delay.

The tournament director John Kariuki said: “We kicked off the tournament on the weekend of June 21 and 22 as agreed with the sponsors with all 64 matches being played except the AFC Leopards v Ligi Ndogo fixture.

“The match was called off at the request of Leopards who were restricted and also had a funds-drive the same weekend.”

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He explained that the round of 32 was to have been played on the weekend of July 10 and 11 but was called off due to the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) between Kenya and Ethiopia, as majority of the players were involved.

“We then rescheduled the round of 32 for August 29 after the SuperSport crew returned from Tanzania in line with a request by your technical crew,” he explained.

The federation took issue with a statement by SuperSport General Manager for East Africa Auka Gacheo that they are concerned about the status of the tournament insisting that it does not reflect the true situation on the ground.

“We also request that matters of confidentiality regarding the tournament should not have been leaked to the media as happened. The tournament is run by FKF, GOtv and SuperSport and it is therefore unfair to blame just one party for the situation at hand,” he added.

According to Mr Kariuki, the schedule of the tournament until the final will be as follows: August 15: AFC Leopards v Ligi Ndogo. August 29: Round of 32, 20 October: Round of 16. October 20: Round of 8, November 14: Semi-finals and November 21: Final.