Why Gor Mahia and Kariobangi Sharks will not play today

Gor Mahia head coach Andreas Spier reacts during their FKF Premier League match against Kenya Police played at Moi Stadium in Kisumu. [Washington Onyango,Stnadrd]

Record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia will not honour their Football Kenya Federation Premier League match against FC Talanta slated for Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega today.

At the same time, Kariobangi Sharks have also pulled out of their game against AFC Leopards set for Nyayo Stadium.

But why is Gor and Sharks refusing to play their round 29 fixtures?

There was confusion this week in local football after the timeline for the FKF Caretaker Committee expired.

On Friday, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed to name a Football Kenya Federation Transition Committee to manage the affairs of the game for the next five weeks.

Amina named the transition committee two days after the mandate of the FKF Caretaker Committee which had been in charge of football for the last six months ended.

Five matches have been scheduled for Saturday with the other four on Sunday as the league enters its penultimate round.

Lack of communication on way forward has led to Gor Mahia and Kariobangi Sharks boycotting their weekend fixtures against FC Talanta and AFC Leopards respectively.

Sharks caught many by surprise when they took to their verified social media pages and made known their decision to dish walkover.

“We would like to announce to our fans and followers that we will not play our away game against AFC Leopards slated for Saturday (May 14). We will inform you if and when league matches resume.”

 “We thank our fans and supporters for your continued support,” said Sharks in a statement.

For Gor Mahia, they said they could not travel to Kakamega unsure about the status of the league after the ministry of Sports failed to respond to their mail sent earlier in the week.

"It proved difficult to prepare for the team and meet the logistical demands around it. There was no form of communication from the exiting committee and the incoming one and therefore, we were left in the dark,” said an official from Gor who declined to be named.

Gor and Sharks are fifth and sixth respectively in the standings with 47 and 45 points.

 

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