Mathare United and Zoo Kericho became the first casualty of the ongoing heated StarTimes broadcast row after Football Kenya Federation sent them packing from Kenya’s top tier on Wednesday.
The federation said they reached the stern decision during the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at a Nairobi hotel.
Mathare and Zoo were among four teams that had been left in the cold after failing to play along with the federation’s wish to have StarTimes as the official broadcast partner.
FKF president Nick Mwendwa said that the two clubs have been given 48 hours to sign the StarTimes endorsement deal in order for them to be included in the next FKF-Premier League fixtures, adding that failure to comply with the directive will lead to their expulsion from the top tier league which enters its third week this weekend.
“We have been very patient with the two clubs and done our best to convince them to meet their obligations in order to preserve the commercial rights of the league. While the other clubs have given us their endorsements, the two have declined to do so as the league enters matchday three. The league cannot continue without the two clubs meeting their obligations,” said Mwendwa.
The two clubs have until Friday 5pm to sign the endorsement, failure to which the matter will be referred to the federation’s General Congress, in February 2021.
Ulinzi Stars were given until December 14 to also send their endorsement, failure to which they will be suspended from the top league.
“The NEC considered the case of Ulinzi and noted that being a military team, they require certain processes to be followed. In that regard, we have given them until Monday at 5pm to sign the endorsement. Failure to do that will result in them being suspended from the top league,” added the FKF president.
The FKF supremo assured players from the three teams that they will be accorded a provisional window of 15 days to sign for other clubs, should their clubs fail to meet their respective deadlines.
At the same time, the FKF president said disciplinary proceedings will be opened against Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier for bringing the game into disrepute. This is after Rachier wrote a letter to StarTimes withdrawing a letter the club’s secretary general Sam Ocholla had written to FKF endorsing the broadcast deal.
Meanwhile, Mathare United chairman Bob Munro insists that the deal remains illegal. Speaking to the Star on Tuesday Munro said that during the 2010 KPL Annual General Meeting KPL clubs agreed to transfer and collectively sell their broadcast rights through KPL.
Until all KPL clubs agree at a KPL AGM to terminate the 2010 agreement, the broadcast rights are still owned by KPL. Consequently, on September 29, 2020, when the FKF president signed the StarTimes agreement, FKF sold broadcast rights it didn’t own. Moreover, by then requiring clubs to sign endorsement letters, FKF encouraged them to act unlawfully on a commitment on broadcast rights which even the clubs no longer owned.
