WHICH WAY KPL? Officials raise red flag over FKF's claims that 18-team league format was agreed on in Naivasha

Ulinzi's defender Muhammed Hassan protests a redcard issued to his teammate's ulinzi stars captain Stephen ocholla by the centre referee Amos Ichingw during their KPL match against Gor Mahia on 17-09-2014 at Nyayo stadium.PHOTO.DENNIS OKEYO

As the debate on the expansion of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) rages, some officials who attended the FKF/KPL meeting last year in Naivasha have disputed reports that a decision was reached on the matter.
“We have read reports in the FKF advertisement today (on Monday) and we can see some facts are being misrepresented. The expansion of the league was proposed, yes, but no decision was made. How can the chairman say we resolved to expand the league?” said an official who attended the meeting but would not like to be named.
According to minute 10.2.2 from the meeting, FKF National Chairman “assured the members that the final strategic plan will have the financial component. On increasing the teams promoted to the Premier League, he called for wider consultations as the matter was intricate and the ramifications far-reaching.”
Minute 10.2.5 says “Mr David Maina, a representative of Division One clubs, commended the Federation for the positive step of developing a strategic plan. However, he expressed concerns with the mode of promotion of teams from Division One League to the Premier League, emphasising that the ultimate desire of any club is to be promoted to the Premier League.”
Minute 10.2.6 says “He (Omondi) proposed an 18-team Premier League which in his view would generate increased drive and ambition in the second-tier League.”
Minute 10.2.7 captures Mathare United Chairman Bob Munro as having “appreciated the concerns and challenges experienced by clubs at the lower tier leagues, but cautioned against increasing the number of teams in the Premier League. The net effect will mean less time for the national team and increased injury risk to the players.”
“We did not make any decision on the matter,” said the official, “adding that expanding the league to 18 teams would negate the gains made since the KPL started and would make the KPL unmanageable with regards to other international engagements.”
According to Fifa records, majority of African nations have 16 and 14-team leagues. Only Egypt and Nigeria have 20 teams in the top league, followed by Cape Verde with 18, but which is divided in three zones of six teams each.
Countries with 16 teams are Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Congo, Congo DR, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Th ose with 14 teams are Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Core D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Lesotho, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Tanzania.
CAR, The Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Swaziland, and Togo have 12 teams while Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, Seychelles, have 10 each. Somalia has eight and Comoros three.