August 30 - The Premier League will now be owned and managed by the Kenyan
Premier League Limited, a company owned and managed by the clubs participating
in the league.
Each of the 24 clubs will have equal shares and a vote on the KPL Board of
Directors. As in England and many other successful football countries, the new
KPL will be legally linked to the KFF which will also have a seat and vote on
the KPL Board.
The company already exists as the clubs simply agreed to change the name of
the present Kenya Premier Football Group Ltd (KPFG) to the Kenyan Premier
League Ltd (KPL).
In his letter to clubs on August 20th, Silvester Ashioya, the Secretary of the
FIFA/KFF Normalisation Committee, confirmed that at the Premier League Clubs
Meeting which he chaired on August 14th "it was unanimously agreed that a
Premier League Company Limited be set up with the sole purpose of managing
Premier League affairs". To launch the process, that meeting set up a
sub-committee consisting of representatives of AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia,
Mathare United, Re-Union and Securicor.
The following Saturday (August 21st) the KPFG shareholders met and agreed to
expand the company to include the additional Premier League clubs as
shareholders.
The following Thursday (August 26th) the sub-committee met under the
chairmanship of Mr. Ashioya and agreed on over 50 recommendations on Premier
League management, finance, rules, appeals/arbitration, match officials,
fixtures, relegation/promotion, club management, national development and
other issues.
At the meeting last Saturday (August 28th), the existing and new KPL
shareholders reviewed and, with only a few amendments, adopted those
recommendations.
Saturday's meeting of the existing and new shareholders was attended by
representatives of Administrative Police, AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia, Kangemi
United, KCB, Kenya Pipeline, Mathare United, Mumias Sugar, Nzoia Sugar,
Panpaper, Red Berets, Securicor, Shabana, Sher Agencies, Sony Sugar, Telkom,
Thika United, Utalii and World Hope. Two Associate Members also attended, the
Kenya Football Coaches Association (KEFOCA) and Kenya Football Referees
Association (KEFORA).
Key agreements on management include:
- Share capital: Share capital is Ksh 100,000 ordinary shares of Ksh 100 each
with the KPL clubs and KFF each having 20 ordinary shares and one vote on the
Board of Directors with the remaining ordinary shares held by KPL as
non-voting shares.
- Transfer of shares: Relegated clubs must legally transfer their shares to
the company and/or promoted clubs but no other transfers allowed without
agreement of KPL Board
- Annual General Meeting: AGM will be held annually during the closed season
with a quorum of two-thirds of the remaining voting shareholders (e.g.
relegated clubs automatically lose vote).
- Board meetings: The KPL Board of Directors will meet quarterly with rule
changes and major commercial contracts requiring a two-thirds majority vote of
shareholders but the Board will meet at least monthly for the rest of 2004.
- Executive Committee: Eight voting members consisting of a Chairman and two
Vice-Chairmen from the three highest ranked clubs plus the next four highest
ranked clubs.
- Associate members: Will participate without a vote in the KPL/AGM and other
relevant meetings (e.g. national associations for coaches, players, referees,
schools, etc.).
- KFF links: KPL will be linked to the KFF and represented on the top KFF
policy and decision-making bodies.
Key agreements on finance include:
- Gate receipts: Host clubs will keep 100% of gate receipts (no deductions).
- Annual awards: Awards to the champions will be increased to help meet costs
of representing our country as soon as KPL income and sponsorships permit.
- Travel equalization: KPL will introduce a travel equalization grant to
clubs not in or near Nairobi as a priority as soon as KPL income and/or
sponsorships permit.
- Stadium rental: Host clubs to pay the rental fees for the stadium but KPL
to negotiate with local and national authorities on better stadium standards
and reasonable fees
- Broadcast rights: KPL clubs to pool/tender their broadcast rights and share
the revenue.
- League fees: No league fees but KPL clubs will pay an initial advance to
KPL of Ksh 30,000 which is refundable if secretariat costs are fully covered
by later sponsorships.
- Players cards/registration: Players cards and registration fees will be
reduced to a cost-recovery fee of a maximum of Ksh 500 for a sealed players
card and a maximum of Ksh 1,000 for registering a new player which includes
the cost of the card
- Joint purchasing: KPL will establish as a matter of priority a joint
purchasing capacity to help clubs reduce costs for football equipment, hotels,
medical insurance, etc
- Financial transparency: KPL will issue every month a financial statement
and balance sheet to all KPL clubs and sponsors
- Accounting records: KPL accounting records will be open for inspection at
any time by representatives of KPL clubs and sponsors.
- Audited accounts: KPL will publish annual audited accounts within 60 days
after end of each season
Key agreements on rules, appeals and arbitration
include:
- Rulebook: KPL will use FIFA Laws of the Game and amended Rules of Kenyan
Football.
- Rule changes: New changes in the Rules of Kenyan Football must be approved
by KFF.
- Appeals Board: KPL will appoint an Appeals Board of six experts whose
decisions can only be appealed through arbitration which is legally binding
and final for all parties (appointment jointly with KFF after new KFF
officials elected).
- Arbitration Panel: KPL will appoint an Arbitration Panel of seven experts
from which each party will choose one expert and jointly choose a Chairman
(appointment jointly with KFF after new KFF officials elected).
- Court cases: KPL clubs will sign a legally binding agreement before the
start of the season to respect Article 61 of the FIFA Statutes that "recourse
to a court of law is prohibited unless specifically provided for in the FIFA
regulations"
Key agreements on match officials include:
- Selection: KPL clubs must approve all match officials for the Premier
League.
- Appointment: KPL will hold public draws to determine the appointments of
match officials
- Referees Board: KPL and KFF will establish jointly a Professional Match
Officials Board.
- Payments: KPL will pay match officials from a special fund by bank transfer
within five working days after the match reports are submitted.
Key agreements on fixtures include:
- Fixtures: KPL clubs must approve the final fixtures before kickoff.
- Postponements: Requests for postponement will be allowed only if a
present club official or player died or if two players are injured in an
officially reported traffic accident on the way to the match.
- Missed match: A KPL club which fails to honour a match to pay a
fine/compensation of at least Ksh 50,000 to the other club within five working
days after the scheduled match.
- Missed matches: A KPL club which misses three matches in the same season
will be automatically suspended and be relegated two divisions for the next
season.
- Abandoned matches: A KPL club to pay a fine of at least Ksh 20,000 within
five working days after the club or its fans are judged responsible for the
abandonment of a match
- Match security: KPL to make minimum security plan for all stadiums in
cooperation with the relevant local and national authorities.
Key agreements on relegation and promotion
include:
- 2004-05 season: At the end of the season the three lowest clubs in each
group will be automatically relegated; the 4th lowest ranked clubs in each
group will play a home/away series with the 5th lowest ranked club in the
other group with the two winning clubs remaining in the Premier League and the
two losing clubs both relegated; and the two top clubs promoted from the
Nationwide League to give a total of 18 clubs for the 2005-06 Premier League
as the maximum allowed under the new FIFA policy.
- 2005-06 season: At the end of the season the four lowest clubs will be
automatically relegated and the two top clubs promoted from the Nationwide
League to give a maximum of 16 clubs for the 2006-07 Premier League.
- Legal agreement: KPL clubs will sign a legally binding agreement before the
season starts that they will respect and not contest the relegation and
promotion agreement.
Key agreements on club management include:
- Legal status: KPL clubs must register under the Societies Act or Companies
Act by October 30th.
- Audited accounts: KPL clubs will issue audited accounts within 60 days
after end of each season as a pre-condition before starting the new season.
Key agreements on football and national
development include:
- Special projects: KPL clubs will undertake projects on key issues such as
alcohol and drug abuse, AIDS prevention, environmental improvement and
community development.
- Zero tolerance policy: KPL will apply a joint “zero tolerance” policy
against corruption, bribery, hooliganism, tribalism and racism or
discrimination on the basis of religion, gender or disability.
- Anyone who offers, pays, solicits or accepts a bribe will be banned for ten
years.
Key agreements on other issues include:
- Handbook: KPL will produce an annual handbook with key information and
contacts for all KPL clubs plus key documents (e.g. FIFA Laws, Rules of Kenyan
Football).
- Records: KPL financial and other records are public documents unless
specifically made confidential by the Board (e.g. assessments of referees by
Match Commissioners).
- Premier League playoffs for 2003-04: The clubs agreed that they would
support any format agreed by the eight Premier League clubs in the playoffs.
The clubs also established an interim Executive Committee to serve until the
new executive are determined by the results of the Premier League playoffs.
The clubs agreed that Maurice Mangoli (Chairman, Nzoia Sugar) will continue as
the Chairman and be joined by the chairmen of AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia, Mathare
United, Mumias Sugar and Securicor.
-30-
Contact
Jack Oguda
Acting Managing Director
Kenyan Premier League Ltd
Riadha House, Box 5350, 00506 Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile 254-722-741411