FKF drops Mathare United and Zoo FC from Premier League

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa has confirmed the removal of Mathare United and Zoo FC from the Premier League.

The removal of the two clubs come after they were expelled due to their objection to the broadcasting deal which FKF signed with StarTimes.

Zoo and Mathare had been given a 48-hour ultimatum to sign the deal but upon the period elapsing on Friday, FKF cited its constitution and an accompanying National Executive Committee decision that sealed the fate of the two sides.

“We have opened a 14-day transfer window for Mathare United and Zoo FC players to move clubs after they were suspended from the league. We have also amended the table to 16 teams,” Mwendwa told Goal on Sunday.

“There will be no room to add any other team as that remains the final decision.”

The expulsion of the two clubs comes after Mathare United CEO Jacktone Obure claimed FKF was favouring Gor Mahia and Ulinzi Stars in the ongoing impasse around the StarTimes deal.

Both Gor Mahia and Ulinzi Stars are the clubs who are yet to ratify the broadcasting deal.

“When FKF wrote the letter of suspension to us, they wrote to Ulinzi warning them that they must endorse the deal in 72 hours but accompanied the letter with some KSh2 million,” Obure stated in an earlier interview.

“Zoo and Mathare United have not signed and have not received a single coin and the question is: how comes that Ulinzi protested as we did but were only warned and given the money.

“Mathare United, unlike Ulinzi Stars, were removed from the Covid-19 programme tests because we had not signed the deal. We had to cover the costs of testing as a club.

“Ulinzi Stars wrote a letter requesting for more time to gloss over the deal but in the same afternoon, FKF wired KSh2 million to their account. Mathare wrote a similar letter but it was not replied to.

“The question is the four clubs have not signed the deal but there are those [Gor Mahia and Ulinzi Stars] who have been given preference and have been scheduled to play already.

“Ulinzi were given 72 hours after being warned whereas Mathare United were given 48 hours or face expulsion. Is there equality?”

The clubs have not yet stated what actions they will take against the decision of expulsion from the top-tier.