Gor Mahia did not honour their Football Kenya Federation Premier league match against Talanta FC slated for May 14 due to the choice of the match venue, GOAL can reveal.
The match had been scheduled to be hosted at Kakamega’s Bukhungu Stadium, a choice that the record league champions objected to.
In a letter addressed to the FKF transition committee and now in possession of GOAL, K’Ogalo requested the match to be rescheduled before their concerns are addressed.
"We refer to the gazette notice number 5518 published by the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Heritage appointing the Football Kenya Federation transition caretaker committee. We congratulate you on your appointment as the chairperson of this committee," Gor Mahia’s letter to the Aaron Ringera-led committee read.
"We enclose herewith a copy of our letter addressed to the Cabinet Secretary. For the reasons advanced therein, and now in accordance with the powers conferred upon the transition committee, we request you to have the above match be rescheduled to another date and at an appropriate venue,"
"Besides, we indicated our lack of acceptance of the venue, which is more than 200km from Nairobi and is not one of the designated home grounds for Talanta FC. Following the appointment of the transition committee, we have taken the liberty to write to its chair reiterating our position as before."
FC Talanta.In a letter to the Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, which the club refers to in their submission to the transition committee, Gor Mahia raised issue with regard to the choice of the match venue.
"In the absence of any accountable authority at the management and organization level, we have to notify you that we shall not honour the above match, which, in any event, and contrary to the rules and regulations governing football in Kenya, has been scheduled to be played two hundred kilometres away from the nominated home grounds of Talanta FC," the letter read.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the nominated home grounds of Talanta FC are Thika Municipal Stadium, Kasarani Moi International Sports Complex, and Ruaraka.
"Besides, the home team has not indicated its intention to meet all our travel and accommodation expenses incidental to this match."
The FKF transition committee, in response, postponed the game even though Talanta had travelled to Bukhungu in readiness for the showdown.
"Kindly, note that the 2021/2022 match number 264 between FC Talanta and Gor Mahia has been postponed to a later date which will be communicated in due course," the committee’s letter, signed by the secretary, Lindah Ogutu and obtained by GOAL, stated.
