DEAL OR NO DEAL? KPL sustains broadcast rights feud with FKF, threatens to go to court

SuperSport East Africa General Manager Auka Gecheo(L) with FKF Chairman Sam Nyamweya(C) and FKF NEC member Doris Petra(R) addresses before signing a deal between FKF and SuperSport to broadcast Division 1 games at New Stanley Hotel in Nairobi on Monday 22/04/13.PHOTO:BONIFACE OKENDO

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) will take legal action to stop any attempts to engage a new television deal to replace South Africa’s SuperSport.

The company has also clarified that it tabled the contracts it has entered with all partners during a meeting with Fifa officials on Tuesday, but admitted that due to ‘confidentiality clauses’ did not allow them to be copied or taken away.

A senior official of KPL, who attended the meeting, argued that since Football Kenya Federation (FKF) receives Sh10million from KPL every year, they had agreed to cede the rights to them.

The official, who did not want to be named for what he termed as confidentiality of the meeting, said: “FKF sat in a meeting where we agreed on percentages we were to pay them out of this deal. Since then, they have been gladly accepting the money and we are surprised they can turn around now and say we do not own the rights.

“The rights now belong to the clubs and they decided to sell them together under KPL. Any attempts to bring in another broadcaster will attract a law suit. It will be a breach of contract for which we are prepared to go to court.”

On Monday, we reported that FKF have signed a three-year television rights deal with MP&Silva to take over the rights of the top tier league. The KPL official at the same time insisted they are not backing down on the composition of next season’s league. “We proved to Fifa that having an expanded league is not beneficial and that at no point was it agreed to increase the number,” he said.

Former Sony Sugar chairman Gabriel Otiende also weighed on the matter and argued that it will be unwise to bring in a new broadcast partner at the moment.

Otiende, who was at Sony’s helm when SuperSport came on board for the first time, said the company had done a good job and there is need to retain them.

“They came in when the league was down and through their partnership with KPL, they have taken it to greater heights and have proved they are in Kenya for the long haul. We cannot bring someone on board whom we do not know and are not even sure of their dependability,” he said.