Nairobi — For the primary time in its historical past, Mathare United will on Sunday afternoon forfeit a Premier League match, because of the dire lack of funds to run its operations, following years of struggles.
If certainly they don’t stroll into the Kasarani Annex to face Bandari FC, Mathare, who’re already battling relegation on the backside of the FKF Premier League standings, will probably be two different matches away from being formally relegated, in the event that they hand walkovers once more.
In a damning launch by proprietor and chairman Bob Munro, the membership says it will possibly not afford to run its actions, and in keeping with a supply inside the membership, if they’re relegated, then it could be the beginning of the top of the 2008 league champions.
“Today, sadly, our team is financially unable to host and honour a match for the first time since we started playing in the FKF leagues 28 years ago,” a press assertion from Munro learn partially.
It provides; “Today is a sad day in the 35-year history of the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) and Mathare United FC (MUFC). lt’s an especially sad and even painful day for me and the MUFC staff, coaches, players and their families as well as for the tens of thousands of youth in the Mathare and neighbouring slums who dream of helping themselves and their families escape poverty by someday playing for Mathare United.”
Munro, additional goes on responsible the membership’s monetary woes on the previous Football Kenya Federation (FKF) workplace, saying their alleged hostile take over of the league actions, the enlargement of the league to 18 groups which subsequently led to the exit of broadcast sponsors Supersport and their alleged failure to pay membership’s royalties from their final broadcast sponsorship are causes for his or her present predicament.
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A supply inside the membership has intimated to Capital Sports that the scenario on the membership is dire and gamers have solely had full wage for a month because the season started.
“The players had threatened not to travel to Kakamega for last weekend’s game against Vihiga and the bosses had to look for something small to enable them travel. It has been really tough for the club and players have been surviving on small amounts of Sh2,000-5,000 once in a while and this has proved to be difficult,” the supply said.
“There is fear that if the club is relegated, then that will be the end. If it is difficult to get sponsorship in the Premier League, then now what of the NSL?” the supply added.
The membership has had a number of sponsorship offers over the previous couple of seasons together with with betting websites Odibets, Triple5Bet, however these have all not lasted for lengthy.
At the beginning of the season, rapid former coach Ezekiel Akwana had opened the lid on simply how dire the scenario on the membership was, occurring to state that the membership was even struggling to have gamers in coaching.
Meanwhile, Bandari will present up on the Annex for the early kick off, and if Mathare fails to indicate up, then they are going to be handed a walkover.