With the 2026/27 Kenyan football season yet to kick off, football administrators have offered solutions to the impasse brought about by the relegation/promotion clause.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsAll teams in the upper pyramid of Kenyan football have had to contend with a league kickoff that continues to be put on ice, much to the frustration of club administrators.By now, players would have been immersed in the heat of the embryonic season; but instead, clubs are struggling to sustain players without certainty of the league commencement date.##NAJAVA_MECA_9930427##Court orders and wrangles emanating from the relegation and promotion criteria and whether the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) 2019 regulations or the 2025 relegation clause should be used to determine last season's promotion and relegation.With a pending court case, the effect is that teams and football stakeholders at large will have to wait longer for the start of the season.Charlton manager hails transfer business involving signing of Harambee Stars midfielder"The kick-off delay is a huge crisis for Kenyan football. And unfortunately, all we are being treated to is one court case after another.The fracas is now playing out via proxies from the Sports Disputes Tribunal to Murang'a Courts to the High Court, etc. It is a disaster!! The continued uncertainty makes it impossible for clubs at all league levels to plan.Clubs continue carrying the full cost of training, salaries, transport, medical and other operations without competitive matches, and that naturally affects planning and morale,” said Tusker Chairman Charles Gacheru.The experienced administrator went ahead to elucidate the effects of the kick-off delay on Tusker and Gor Mahia, who will be involved in the CAF Confederation Cup (CAF CC) and Champions League (CAF CL), respectively."Both Gor Mahia and Tusker have continental assignments; the CAF schedule is already fixed, so any further delay to the league reduces the number of competitive matches we can play before going into the CAF CL or CAF Confederation Cup.##NAJAVA_MECA_9930437##Ideally, we would want a few league games to build match fitness, rhythm and sharpness before CAF competitions. Friendlies help, but they cannot fully replace competitive football,” added GacheruFor Kenya Police FC Secretary General Chris Mmbwanga, his decades-long experience as a detective makes him critical of the legal direction the game has taken.“It is unfortunate that we have gone to address football matters in court; this in itself is a process beyond anyone’s control. I am a detective by profession, and any case before a court of law will be subjected to the court's calendar. Cases related to football aren’t special to be hurriedly heard and determined!Gor Mahia coach reveals blueprint for Pyramids test in CAF Champions LeagueAll cases will follow the normal court procedure because we have many other litigants in court looking for justice for their cases! These court procedures will definitely have an impact on the start of our league,” said Mmbwanga.The Police FC Secretary General, who is a Commissioner of Police (CP), went ahead to address the effects of the delay within and beyond the sporting perspective.“Since there is no clear date for when the league will start, it throws all the teams into a big dilemma; the morale of players dies, the pre-season preparation is worn out, and money spent on air tickets, accommodation and medical.##NAJAVA_MECA_9930446##Stadium hire goes down the drain as the objective that was supposed to be achieved is washed away due to the delayed start of the league.For the management, they have to continue paying salaries, hire training and friendly match venues, money that could be used during the league. This is an extra budget that was never anticipated, yet all the teams are struggling financially,” he added.AFC Leopards chairman Boniface Ambani also weighed in on the matter, noting with concern that players' interests have now taken a back seat at the expense of wrangles.Dennis Oliech on how Gor Mahia can upset Pyramids in CAF Champions League clash"The day we, as a country, as leaders, shall start thinking and making players our first priority, that's the day our football will move. Let us continue fighting for supremacy.Our players are our bosses. We only lead them. You are in those offices because of them. Without them, there is no football. You will be vying for these posts to lead who?” posed Ambani.KCB Sports Manager Raymond Oruo believes the current ordeal can be solved by having other teams kick off the league even as the affected teams await determination.##NAJAVA_MECA_9930466##“The wrangles affect the game negatively both locally and internationally. Maybe we should proceed with the league, with the exception of the teams currently embroiled in the promotion/relegation hullabaloo,” said Oruo.For Gacheru, dialogue between the two opposing sides will be the key to unlocking the league kick-off.“For the sake of Kenyan football, the morale of our players, our preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the football leadership must sit together, mend bridges, drop selfish interests and get football out of the courts and back on the pitch.”
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