Gor set to be crowned Kenyan Premier League champs

Charles Thuku and Fredrick Likuyani

Belying the old saying that you should not count your chicks before they hatch, red-hot Kenyan Premier League (KPL) 2019/2020 title contenders Gor Mahia may be excused if they start counting theirs, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

In as much as the virus is unfortunate after having ravaged most countries to the point of lockdown, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for defending champions in as far as retention of the title is concerned.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Barry Otieno yesterday issued a statement in which he declared that should the pandemic continue, the league will have to end prematurely and league leaders Gor declared champions with 11 matches left.

By any standards, should be music in the ears of table-topping Gor who are angling to successfully defend their title.

“We hope that Coronavirus is contained soon and that we can resume normal football.

If not, then we might have to end the season prematurely and declare the winner as per the current standing, especially if CAF doesn’t allow for an extension to submit league champions to be included in the CAF champions cup,’’ Otieno said.

However, Otieno clarified that the federation said it will engage CAF and Fifa to chart the best way forward.

He said: “We will continue engaging both CAF and FIFA on this issue and how best it can be handled.

Additionally, we still have the Cup competition which should be played to conclusion to enable the winner play in the CAF Confederations and as for the KPL, we will continue to not only monitor the development of the coronavirus outbreak but also engage government on the possibility of honouring the fixtures without compromising on the safety and health of all involved including the general Kenyan public.”

Gor who have been experiencing financial difficulties after the withdrawal of their jersey sponsors SportPesa, have had mixed fortunes in their last five matches, allowing second placed Kakamega Homeboyz to close the gap to within striking range.

Gor who last season won the local league by 72 points from 34 matches, are at the moment on 54 points from 23 matches played, while Homeboyz who have a match at hand are at 47 points from 22 matches played.

Meaning that if they won the match they have at hand, they would have slashed the difference to only four points.

Kakamega Homeboyz is, however,  protesting the thought saying 11 matches are many and they are confident of overtaking Gor and winning their maiden title, especially given the fact that the difference in points was very minimal.

Homeboyz team manager Boniface Imbenzi said the thought of awarding Gor the title was not only unwise but also unfair.

“It’s regrettable this is happening when teams were highly motivated during this homestretch with everyone fighting to finish the league in a better position making it more competitive and attractive.

With 11 matches to go, Gor may even finish outside top five if all the matches are honoured, so why award them the title?,” posed Imbenzi.

He added: “We hope that a solution will be found immediately and things return to normalcy soon, because as a club we have treated all the directives from the government seriously.”

If the league goes ahead and ends prematurely, it will mean that Chemelil Sugar and Sony Sugar which had already been relegated, will be the two sides to automatically axed from top flight football, while 16th placed Kisumu All Stars will be subjected to a play-off with a National Super League side to know their fate next season.