The British coach slams coaches who are against K’Ogalo lifting the crown if the league ends prematurely owing to the Covid-19 pandemic
Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack has hit out at fellow Kenyan Premier League (KPL) coaches, who are against the decision to award his team the trophy if the league ends prematurely owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus.
The Kenyan top-flight is currently suspended indefinitely as the country tries to fight and contain the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected several sporting activities across the world.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa feels the federation rules allow Gor Mahia to be awarded the trophy if the league ends today while KPL has maintained the winner can only be decided with guidelines from the other leagues in Europe and Africa.
Several KPL coaches led by Twahir Muhiddin of Bandari, Tusker’s Robert Matano, Anthony Kimani (of AFC Leopards), Salim Babu (Western Stima), Salim Ali (Mathare United) – have all called for the league to be declared null and void and forced to start afresh when normalcy returns.
Polack has now hit out at the coaches saying they are ignorant of what the FKF rules state in regards to the matter and insists they should wait for KPL to give a final decision.
“Well do they know the rules all these coaches, or they are just talking out of ignorance?” Polack told Goal when asked about the coaches’ stand.
“I know the rules in Kenya, do they know the rules? The question is all the coaches who have been talking if they were on top of the league table currently, will they say the same thing? I don’t think so.
“If we go by the rules of KPL because they get their rules from FKF, I have the rules in front of me, like 30 pages and it tells you exactly what happens when the season ends prematurely.
“So what it says here is before each and every club has completed first-round fixtures, the league shall be declared null and void so that means if we have not played half of the games then it means nobody or no team wins the league.
“And the next one is if all the clubs have completed their first-round matches but less than 75% of the league matches have been played, the table stands as is from the end of the first-round [which] shall be considered as the final table. From the first round Gor Mahia were on top – at the end of the first round.
“I don’t know what they are talking about, people have their own opinions, it is up to them, but all we need is to wait for the ruling from KPL. I am just waiting to see what happens, but honestly, if you ask me, I want us to play the remaining nine matches and Gor Mahia will still be at the top, then we wait and see what they will say.”
Polack continued: “A rule is a rule and we have to wait for the ruling now, if the rule goes by FKF ruling, then nobody should complain, it is final and they should swallow that and respect the same.”
Gor Mahia are topping the 17-team table on 54 points, seven more than second-placed Kakamega Homeboyz while Tusker are third on 46 points.
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