Behind Closed Doors: FKF Premier League Gets Greenlight to Kick Off

MARTIN SIELENov 23, 20201 Mins read2.6k

Gor Mahia fans celebrate at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi during a past fixture

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League is set to kick off on Saturday, November 28 after the Ministry of Health gave a greenlight for the resumption of football activities in the country.

In a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, matches will be played behind closed doors.

The new season, the first since the expiry of the Kenya Premier League (KPL) contract to manage the top-flight, will start with six matches on November 28.

AFC Leopards vs Western Stima will be the first match on the cards, and is set to be televised by Startimes.

FKFPL sides have been undergoing Covid-19 tests in the past week ahead of the league’s resumption.

FKF President Nick Mwendwa addressing a past press briefing

Other opening day matches include Ulinzi Stars vs Vihiga United, Bandari vs Zoo Kericho, Sofapaka vs KCB, Kariobangi Sharks vs Wazito, Tusker vs Gor Mahia, Bidco United vs Posta Rangers and City Stars vs Nzoia Sugar.

Several other protocols are to be strictly adhered to; including no traditional pre-match handshakes or exchange of jerseys.

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Chinese owned Pay-TV broadcaster StarTimes signed a seven year deal worth $1.1m (Ksh120.52 million) a year to be the league’s new broadcast sponsor.

The league has been running a campaign encouraging fans to purchase StarTimes decoders ahead of the new season to catch the action.

Nigerian betting firm Betking will be the league’s title sponsor, with the league now officially known as the Betking Premier League (BPL).

The five year deal is worth Ksh1.2 billion. The league has been without a title sponsor since betting firm Sportpesa exited the Kenyan market in 2019.

With matches being played behind closed doors, many clubs will lose out on hugely important matchday revenues from ticketing.

They will be counting on the funds secured from various sponsorships to pay salaries and finance their operations.

Milele FM will be the league’s radio broadcast partner for the season.

READ ALSO>>>>FKF signs Multimillion sponsorship deal with Odibets

Written by

MARTIN SIELE -

Martin K.N Siele is the Content Lead at Business Today. He is also a Quartz contributor and a 2021 Baraza Media Lab-Fringe Graph Data Storytelling Fellow. Passionate about digital media, sports and entertainment, Siele also founded Loud.co.ke