Shikanda reads mischief in FKF’s decision to declare Gor Mahia champions
AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has termed as unfair the decision by Football Kenya Federation (FKF)’s President’s Nick Mwendwa to prematurely end the 2019-20 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season and declare Gor Mahia the champions.
The current KPL season was halted due to the Government of Kenya’s directive against the use of public sporting facilities, inter-county travel, and curfew among other measures meant to stop the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.
FKF earlier on Thursday used 2019 rules and guidelines governing Kenyan football to end the season prematurely and declare K’Ogalo as champions but Shikanda says the decision was rushed and wrongly implemented.
“FKF argues that they used the mid-season standings to declare Gor Mahia champions but if we are to go by that Tusker were at the top of the table. Gor Mahia had three matches at hand and those according to football rules are never counted as wins in the event a league is ended prematurely,” Shikanda told Nairobi News.
FKF President Nick Mwendwa, who announced the development in a series of sensational tweets, however, insists they followed the rules carefully and will release a detailed statement on the fate of all the leagues soon.
CONTROVERSY
KPL has also disputed Mwendwa’s declarations and asked FKF to furnish it with the process followed to arrive at the decision.
“KPL has the legal mandate to run the league and we would wish to be furnished with the minutes of the meeting which deliberated upon the matter in question with the subsequent resolution already conveyed to the public by FKF,” reads a letter by KPL CEO Jack Oguda to FKF.
“Your kind and quick response will enable the KPL Governing Council to convene and internalize the decision so far communicated,” it adds.
According to reliable sources, FKF is set to prematurely end the Domestic Cup as well with current title holders Bandari set to represent Kenya in the next edition of the CAF Confederation Cup.