Gor Mahia CEO Omondi Aduda has admitted Kenyan football is in a sad state of affairs after Kenyan Premier League (KPL) Limited ordered clubs to pay matchday officials.
The decision was reached after the KPL governing council meeting also confirmed the league will go on as planned and will not stop because of lacking a sponsor.
KPL CEO Jack Oguda confirmed to Goal on Thursday all the 18 clubs will be required to pay the match referees until they secure a sponsor.
Reacting to the new, Aduda was left dismayed by the "sad situation" football in the country finds itself in.
“As much as I did not want to comment on the matter, it is surely a sad situation for Kenyan football,” Aduda told Goal on Friday.
“That is where we find ourselves in and it is a situation Kenyans wanted to find themselves in so we have to do what we have been asked to do and move on.”
Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula, who was among the officials fronting for the league to be halted, insists asking clubs to pay the match officials will bring a lot of confusion as bribery claims will later emerge.
“Imagine a referee coming all the way from Kakamega to Nairobi to officiate a match without money and he or she gets an official with money, will he not do a favour for the money and change the result?” Shimanyula posed to Goal.
“Paying match officials is the work of KPL and should remain to be the work of KPL. We should stop using shortcuts and do things the way they are supposed to be done.”
Shimanyula further argues that asking the same teams, which have not paid their players and the technical bench salaries for the last three months to cater referee’s expenses, is a huge burden that could bring them down.
The KPL will continue this weekend with several matches being played across the country.
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