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Bomet-based club attributes NSL promotion to resilience, hard-work

Tuesday, May 5th, 2020 00:00 | By
Promoted Silibwet at a past Division One match. The team has dedicated their promotion to second tier Betika National Super League (BNSL) to resilience, hard work, discipline and never say die attitude. Photo/PD/GIBO ZACHARY

Betika National Super League (BNSL) promoted side Silibwet have dedicated their long-awaited promotion to the second tier league, to resilience, hard work, discipline and never-say-die attitude.

Silibwet were declared Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Division One Zone B 2019/2020 champions, ahead of Soy United and Gusii, after FKF confirmed the final table standings for the 2019/2020 league season will be decided on the table standings at the end of the first round.

“FKF hereby declares Silibwet the FKF Division One Zone B 2019/2020 Champions. The team earns automatic promotion to the National Super League 2020/2021 Season,” declared FKF in a statement sent to all clubs in the league.

Silibwet closed the first round of the league on top of the 16 teams Division One Zone B League table standings with 32 points from 15 matches, four points above second-placed Soy United who were on 28 points and five above third-placed Gusii who were on 27 points by end of first round.

In a statement sent to clubs on Thursday last week, FKF stated that following the Covid-19 situation in Kenya and the recent public health regulations announced by the government, including the extension of the ongoing curfew and cessation to May 16, 2020, banning of all public gatherings of more than 15 individuals and the indefinite closure of all stadiums made it untenable to conclude the 2019/2020 league season in time for the kickoff of the 2020/2021 season slated for September.

The communication further stated that the federation was in receipt of communication from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) requesting it to furnish CAF by end of May 5, with the status of the Kenyan leagues and strategies the federation intends to apply to finalise the leagues, which have remained suspended since March 2020, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this regard, the federation effectively cancelled all the FKF leagues including, the Kenyan Premier League, the Betika National Super League, the FKF National Division One Leagues (Zone A and B), the FKF Division Two leagues and all FKF grass-root Leagues, while the Women Premier League and the Women Division One league both been nullified.

The federation was guided by Rule 2.6.1.2 of the Rules and Regulations Governing Kenyan Football which states that “where the league format due to circumstances of force majeure fails to be completed within the season, the league winner shall be determined by the table standings at the end of the first round, where all the clubs in the league have completed the first round fixture but less than 75 per cent league games have been played”.

 And at the time of suspending the league in March, only two matches had been played in the second leg in Zone B, meaning the 75 per cent threshold was not achieved and thus the federation resulted to invoke Rule 2.6.1.2 of the Rules and Regulations Governing Kenyan Football, consequently handing Silibwet ticket to BNSL.

Silibwet’s quest for promotion to the second tier league (BNSL) has taken them over twelve (12) seasons in Division One, and the news of being promoted was the sweetest dreams they never thought will come to pass sooner than later.

“Silibwet FC was formed in 1980 and has been in the league (Division One), this being the 12th year.

To be honest, it has been a long hard fought promotion since my team has been so consistent especially in the past three seasons and this promotion could not have come at any better time than now that we have been doing exemplary well,” said Silibwet team manager.                                                  - Erick Rono

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