Migori Youth coach Robert Ojienda says the 2019/2020 National Super League season cannot resume in the prevailing circumstances even if coronavirus pandemic is to be contained by June.
Ojienda said even though most clubs including Migori Youth want the season finished, it is not possible.
"If the season is not concluded, my advise to the football governing body is to invoke article 2.6 of the FKF statutes to determine winners, promotion and relegation.
Ojienda called on the Football Kenya Federation to consult widely before coming up with the way forward, adding that cancellation of the season is not one of the options.
“It is not possible to finish the league now. Even if we resume in June, we still need one month to prepare teams. My proposal is that we should use first leg results in determining which team will be promoted and relegated because we have played more than 70 per cent of the games,” said the tactician.
Ojienda opposed calls for the cancellation of the entire season. “Teams invest a lot in the league and cancelling the season would be very unfair to the sponsors. The efforts of those who invested in teams must be recognised,” he noted.
He said even though clubs gave their players training programs to follow when working from home, it’s not easy for coaches to monitor them.
“A coach needs players to reach a common level of fitness which cannot be achieved when they work individually. Since the league was indefinitely postponed, the players’ fitness levels have gone down,” added the coach.
He further noted that the postponement of the league has adversely affected players and members of the technical bench, especially those playing for clubs without sponsors.
“The government should intervene and give these clubs something small because most of the players depend on football,” said Ojienda.
He said Migori Youth will focus on promotion next season. The club was 8th on the log by the time the league was postponed. “We did well in the first leg and finished fifth. The departure of Antonio Abwao and Clinton Okoth affected us but by the time the league was postponed, we had picked up the mojo,” concluded the tactician.
