The Kenya Premier League (KPL) has threatened to dismiss six teams from the top tier after they sought a suspension of the league, citing financial problems.
The six; Kakamega Homeboys, Kisumu All Stars, Nzoia Sugar, Kariobangi Sharks, Mathare, Chemelil and SONY Sugar have threatened to skip matches over lack of funds.
However, through its CEO Jack Oguda, KPL has warned the teams of dire consequences, insisting that they must honour their matches.
Oguda confirmed receiving protest letters from the teams, but warned that they will be relegated to the lower National Super League (NSL) should they miss three league games.
“The clubs which have written to us asking for the halting of the league have no choice but to honour their weekend matches. If they do not play their matches, we will assume they have given walkovers and should the trend persist for three rounds, the law will take its fine course," he said.
He said the league will proceed as planned whether or not the teams have the required finances, adding that it is not the job of the league regulator to finance the teams.
He urged the affected teams to put their houses in order and compete in the league, as the regulator can only supplement what they have managed to make.
"The league has to continue as scheduled and we ask the clubs to put their houses in order. We are mandated to organize and run the league and it's upon the club to bear the financial costs. What we normally do is to supplement their efforts,” he added.
A good number of soccer and other sporting entities have been suffering following the exit of major betting sites, which played a major sponsorship role.