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Kenyan football crisis intensifies with parallel leagues

Xinhua, January 31, 2015 Adjust font size:

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) " ruled" Friday to divorce themselves from the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) that runs the competition.

In a throwback to the decision that saw the country have two top tier leagues in 2006, the FKF ruled to form a "Company Limited by Guarantee known as FKF Premier League Limited."

"By invocation of this, FKF has with immediate effect withdrawn all such rights from KPL," a statement signed by federation boss, Sam Nyamweya said Friday evening.

The SGM further ruled the top flight will consist of 18 teams that flies in the face of FIFA recommendations that advised a 16- team competition that the federation blatantly declined to adopt, leading to the collapse of talks between the feuding bodies in Nairobi midweek aimed at resolving the impasse.

"We inform you that in our view, the report is objective as well as fair and that we do not have reason to doubt the neutrality of the consultant," FIFA said in a statement released a day earlier after the joint talks fell apart.

"Once FKF confirm that the report has been provided to all concerned parties, including KPL as agreed, FIFA's support in the process to find an amicable solution on whether participants for the 2015 KPL season should be 16 or 18 clubs will have come to an end," said the statement.

"This is particularly the case since after issuing the report FKF's position is now that a solution can be found locally. We wish you well in finding a local solution," the world body added after FKF rejected the recommendations of experts it had seconded to broker a truce between the two bodies.

However, there's no 'local solution' on hand following Friday's developments with KPL insisting their competition will kick-off on Feb. 14 with the proposed rival FKF PL scheduled to start a week later on Feb. 21.

The final split has happened even after the country's President, Uhuru Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary for Sport, Dr. Hassan Wario, called on sobriety to prevail and it remains to be seen which path the concerned clubs will follow or honour.

KPL is counting on 15 teams, while FKF PL has 16 sides. Enditem