• A statement from the club confirmed that they were earlier this year charged with manipulation of football matches and competitions contrary to the Fifa Disciplinary Code on the basis of a report compiled by the Fifa Integrity Department.
• Zoo believe that the Fifa report was inadequate and its findings doubtful. The club disclosed that they then called upon the Fifa Disciplinary Committee to review the facts and the evidence over and above the said report.
Disgraced Zoo Kericho have vowed to exhaust all legal channels to clear their name and overturn the decision by Fifa to relegate the club from the Football Kenyan Federation Premier League after they were found guilty of match-fixing.
A statement from the club confirmed that they were earlier this year charged with manipulation of football matches and competitions contrary to the Fifa Disciplinary Code on the basis of a report compiled by the Fifa Integrity Department.
As a result, according to orders from the world football governing body, they will play in Division One from next season.
According to a rebuttal from Zoo, the events purportedly leading to the charge involve two of the then Kenyan Premier League matches on January 27, 2019, in Machakos —between Zoo and Sofapaka — and on March 1, 2020 — between Wazito and Zoo. Zoo lost the matches 2-1 and 4-1 respectively.
“Thereafter, the Fifa Integrity Department opened a preliminary investigation into the football affairs of the club. In the course of the said investigations, the Fifa Integrity Department interrogated a number of our current and former players and officials."
"It is fundamentally worth noting that at the conclusion of its report the department stated: ...Fifa integrity believes that there is not enough evidence to conclusively identify a single specific individual to be held as the sole responsible of the manipulation of the matches under scrutiny, based on the available evidence (namely the performance analysis and intelligence information),” read the club statement.
Zoo believe that the Fifa report was inadequate and its findings doubtful. The club disclosed that they then called upon the Fifa Disciplinary Committee to review the facts and the evidence over and above the said report.
“We were, however, surprised to receive a communique from Fifa that, unfortunately, held us responsible for match manipulation that basically relegated us to the Division One League season. We will in the next ten (10) days write to them to provide further particulars of their decision.”
The club concluded: “We have since prepared our Appeal to the Fifa Appeals Committee under Art. 56 Fifa Disciplinary Code which we shall soon file and are confident our appeal shall be successful. We shall also seek a stay of execution of the said decision that will allow us to continue participating in the league."
"We assure you that we are prepared to exhaust all legal avenues to ensure this unfair decision is reversed including lodging any further or other appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sports.”