The new Kenyan Premier League season has tentatively been set for a September 25 kick-off, Football Kenya Federation President Nick Mwendwa has said.
Mwendwa said they are looking forward to a more successful and glorious season after the previous one ran into hiccups mostly triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In two weeks, September 25, we will kick off the new season. We are working to get back to a more regular season. The previous season was marked by injuries due to the congested fixtures following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic," said Mwendwa.
“Unlike in the just concluded season, we look forward to an uninterrupted year. I wish to thank everyone who contributed towards the success of the FKF-PL."
In addition, Mwendwa said securing stadiums for top-flight matches posed a big headache given Kenyan teams don't own pitches.
“It was so hectic. There were many stops and it wasn't clear if we would be having matches the following day. On several occasions, we were forced to host up to three matches in the same stadium on the same day,” he observed.
Mwendwa regretted BetKing’s decision to withdraw sponsorship, terming the move disheartening and unfortunate given the federation had all along complied with all the values that characterise a healthy business partnership.
There is still some good news though as the FKF honcho hinted that the federation was already engrossed in serious negotiations with potential sponsors.
“We lost a key sponsor towards the end of the season. We are already in the process of securing new sponsors and those we've spoken to are on the way. We will continue to work day and night to ensure they finally get here,” said Mwendwa.
“When they arrive, we will ensure most of that money goes into organising the league and also goes into paying clubs. We want to make sure our clubs are paid well and our players receive the money too.”
BetKing’s withdrawal was a culmination of a sorrow-ridden season plagued by incessant delays occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2020, BetKing jumped to the rescue of the federation and pumped in Sh1.2bn five-year deal to salvage a league that was already limping following the withdrawal of SportsPesa.
But in a letter signed jointly by FKF President Nick Mwendwa and BetKing Kenya country director, Ivana Ristic, the two parties communicated the end of the deal in June.
Meanwhile, the FKF boss has trashed allegations insinuating that his office had blatantly exhibited bias when handling top tier teams and while awarding accolades to top performers in the just concluded season.
“People will always form an opinion and we welcome both positive and negative criticism. We will drive this league forward and ensure there is integrity in it. We will ensure everyone is treated fairly in the league," said Mwendwa.
“It's because of fairness that Tusker emerged as champions and Mathare United managed to stay afloat in the league. Everyone had already ruled them out.”
