Cash-strapped Sony Sugar are in a race against time to find funds to honour tomorrow’s Kenyan Premier League match against Tusker at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.
The Awendo-based side gave out a walkover in their previous outing at home to AFC Leopards—sending shock waves throughout the football fraternity as several other clubs crawled out of the woods in solidarity with Sony to call for the league to be suspended as the financial crisis bite.
“Unfortunately we are yet to get sponsors like we had hoped. We are waiting to get a final response from the club managers then we can know with finality whether we will honour the match or not,” Sony coach James Nandwa revealed.
All indications are, however, pointing to Sony not being able to honour the fixture. Nandwa himself has been away from the club in the build-up to tomorrow’s clash lending credence to speculations that Sony will hand three free points to Tusker.
The former Harambee Stars’ coach was back in his Nairobi home and attended the midweek National Super League matches at Camp Toyoyo.
“All we are waiting for is communication from the management. As it stands, we are all groping in the dark but still hopeful that we will find a solution to the situation the club finds itself in,” he remarked. Should they, as it is increasingly likely, fail to take to the field tomorrow, Sony will be a match away from being tossed out of the Kenyan Premier League.
According to the rules and regulations governing the top-flight league, a club risk financial sanctions amounting to Sh1.5 million and subsequent relegation to the National Super League if they skip three matches. Sony, founding members of the KPL and also their inaugural champions in 2006, now stare down the barrel in the next fortnight as their very existence is now subjected to a real threat.
Their tribulations and that of the other clubs bring into sharp focus the seriousness with which the federation is implementing the club licensing rules which among other things require participating clubs to furnish them with documents, citing their financial ability to take part in a particular league.
