FKF Caretaker Committee to punish Sofapaka if they forfeit Ulinzi match
The Football Kenya Federation Caretaker Committee insists that the rescheduled Premier League match between Ulinzi Stars and Sofapaka will go on as planned.
On Monday evening, Sofapaka president Elly Kalekwa wrote a letter to the FKF Caretaker Committee, wanting the game to be postponed indefinitely until their appeal is heard. According to the 2009 League champions, the minutes from the meeting by the Caretaker committee must be shared with the club for them to honour the match.
The Ulinzi versus Sofapaka match was supposed to be played on January 8, 2022, but failed to kick off after the home side failed to provide an equipped ambulance for the match.
After months of uncertainty and tussling, it was ruled that the match be played on Saturday, March, 22,2021 at the Green Stadium, Kericho, something Sofapaka president Kalekwa disputes.
"We make reference to your recent fixture via your email dated 18th March 2022 and our later dated 10th January 2022. We have seen various media reports that the dispute surrounding the above referenced and the same ordered to be replayed on Saturday 26th March as particularized in the fixture," read the letter in part."As a club, we are yet to receive any official communication of the said verdict from your good selves and hereby request that you urgently purpose to inform us as we intend to file an appeal against the said decision to the relevant Appeals Committee upon the receipt of the same within the timeline prescribed by Rule 10.3.4.1 of the Rules of Kenyan Football.”
“Kindly also supply us with the relevant minutes of the proceedings of the Competitions Committee and/or reasons for your said decision. We are in the meantime further requesting that the said fixture be indefinitely postponed pending the outcome of our intended Appeal, " Kalekwa said in a letter sent to the FKF Caretaker Committee Secretariat CEO Linda Ogutu.
The Caretaker Committee on the other hand insists that the game will go on regardless of what Batoto ba Mungu say about the matter.
FKF Caretaker League and Competitions sub-committee chairman Ali Amour says they will not relent on their decision and that all plans are in place to have the game played.
“We simply follow the rules of the game,” he told People Daily Sport on Tuesday afternoon.
“The question I always ask, why kill the hope of innocent youths,” he quipped.
Ulinzi Stars, the 2010 Premier League champions, have had their own shares of problems and perhaps want this game played so as to regain their lost form.
One win in five and sitting in position 14 on the log, the soldiers have said that Saturday’s match will go on as scheduled.
‘Our match against Sofapaka that was to be played in January will now be played this Saturday in Kericho,” they posted on Facebook.
The decision to have the replay even as the local leagues take a break was reached on Monday by the Caretaker Committee during the Leagues and competitions meeting held at the Nyayo National stadium.
Kakamega Homeboyz lead the league standings with 49 points and have dropped points only once in their last five matches. As it stands, the Kakamega-based side needs only six wins out of the remaining league matches to be declared champions for the first time in their history.
