National Super League side Ushuru FC could be facing a bleak future due to a massive quorum hitch in the playing unit and dire financial constraints.
With the transfer window already shut, a senior official at the club who sought anonymity revealed that the club had only eleven players with valid contracts, leaving the technical bench worried over their inability to compete in the new season.
The source disclosed that the club which was relegated to the second tier in 2016 did not have an assistant coach, doctor and a physical trainer. Ushuru, who secretly axed 20 players in May are understood to have courted more than seven players to strengthen the dilapidated unit but obtaining employment contracts from KRA before the deadline (last Monday) did not bear fruits.
Additionally, the source further claimed the players in their books had gone without pay from August and had not received winning bonuses for the past three seasons.
"I have been with the team since inception but their future is not a guarantee unless a miracle happens. We do not have enough players to compete in the new season since the players have gone for months without pay and did not have a training ground .Our plans to bring in new players proved futile," he said
Another source from the team who also declined to be mentioned and who threatened to quit should the management not act, also expressed his reservations over the future of the club.
He revealed that their pre-season preparations have been dogged by financial challenges, forcing them to go out of their way to hire a training ground and secure friendly matches.
"All indications are rife that the team is likely to be disbanded. We have never received any support from the time the 2019-2020 season was cut short. We haven't gotten our pre-season right and even if the management salvages the situation, I am afraid we will not compete in line with their expectations," he said.
Meanwhile,KRA in a rebuttal, acknowledged that the team was riding on a rocky path due to the economic effects brought about by Covid-19 but promised to roll up their sleeves and arrest the situation.
"KRA has been the official sponsor of the Ushuru FC since the club was constituted in 2005. Since then, the team has been receiving unwavering support and dedication from KRA management and staff. However, Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted normal operation around the world and football as a sport has not been spared," they said
"Like any other team in the Kenya Premier League and National Super League, Ushuru FC was negatively affected by the pandemic. KRA is informed of the challenges and an amicable solution in being sought," added the agency.
