FKF President Nick Mwendwa during a past event. He urged the government to release money to support Kenya Premier League (KPL) clubs. [Photo|Nairobi News]
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa is optimistic the government will offer financial support to the federation and clubs as the Kenya Premier League (KPL) kicks off.
Mwendwa said they had had several meetings with the Ministry of Sports and had been assured that they would get support following the withdrawal of title sponsors, SportsPesa.
“We have agreed with the government that they will give us support to try and recover what was lost when SportPesa pulled out. They have agreed to do so, though they have not indicated how much they will give us,” said Mwendwa.
Speaking to Standard Sports, the FKF boss said they have many pending projects at risk and asked the government to release the funds immediately to keep the projects rolling.“We gave the government the whole picture in terms of our priorities and we hope that by the end of the week we will have some good news. If we get something we will see what is needed in particular areas and apply the funds," he said.Mwendwa added: “Some of these projects include coaching courses and youth leagues, which are bound to suffer should we not be sorted immediately."FKF also need money to pay Harambee Stars coach Paul Put and support other grassroots activities.
Top clubs Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards who had a sponsorship with SportPesa have been facing uncertain future after the betting firm cancelled their sponsorship agreements over new tax obligations.Is there a newsworthy accident, incident or event happening in your county that you want Hivisasa to cover? Tell us what is happening by joining this group and have it published.