FKF-PL clubs likely to miss out on CAF competitions

Captain Posta Rangers FC Osman Suleiman (left) dribles the ball past Gor Mahia players during an FKF Premier League clash at Kasarani Annex on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. [Jonah Onyango, The Standard]

Kenya risks failing to have representatives in next season’s CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup due to the delay in the resumption of the FKF-Premier League.

The development comes barely five days after the continental football body CAF set June 30 as the deadline of submitting clubs’ names by member associations.

The league had been scheduled to return to action on May 12 as per the organisers’ draft fixtures barely 11 days after President Uhuru Kenyattta’s directive on the resumption of sporting activities in the country strictly in compliance with the Ministries of Health and Sports guidelines.

But according to a source close to the federation, they run a risk of not concluding the league on time after they failed to secure Kasarani Stadium (Main and warm-up) as the venue for the matches.

The official says they have not received a response from the concerned ministries despite submitting the required documents.

“There is a looming crisis in the FKF Premier League because the two ministries have not agreed on the resumption of football and other sports as directed by the President,” said the official who sought anonymity.

 “We had planned to start the league on Wednesday and finish it by July 14 after CAF rescheduled the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. But from the look of things, we are unlikely to forward the names for both the Champions League and Confederation Cup to CAF on time after we failed to secure the venues for resumption.”

While Gor Mahia were declared the champions last year and consequently qualified for the Champions League after the domestic league was cancelled owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, there was not represention in the Confederation Cup following the cancellation of Betway Shield at the quarterfinals stage.