SDT declares Gor Mahia 2019-2020 KPL Champions

The Sports dispute tribunal have sided with the FKF decision to declare Gor Mahia 2019-2020 league champions after the league ended with Gor Mahia still atop the charts.

Additional reporting from Citizen Sports

Football Kenya Federation will feel vindicated after the Sports Disputes Tribunal on Tuesday upheld its decision to halt the 2019/20 Kenyan Premier League season and declare Gor Mahia the Premier League champions.

FKF made the decision on April 30 this year at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic that had made the government to halt sports activities and any social gathering events in the country.

However the league management body contested the decision, arguing that due process wasn’t followed as it was the only entity with the authority to make a decision on whether to stop the league.

However on Tuesday, the Tribunal boss John Ohaga ruled that FKF was within its rights to make the decision.

Reacting to the ruling, KPL CEO Jack Oguda said they have no choice but ‘to respect the ruling’.

“The judge faulted our application that we did exhaust all dispute resolution mechanisms.

“We have to accept the ruling, that is the rule of law. The shareholder(KPL clubs chairmen) will have to decide on the next step,”he explained. “The chairman (Ambrose Rachier)will have to call a meeting for the club chairmen to decide the next step.

The decision to declare Gor champions divided opinion amongst soccer stakeholders with bitter rivals AFC Leopards indicating back then that they would challenge the decision.

However, hardly a week after declaring so, Leopards boss Dan Shikanda changed tune.

The ruling effectively paves way for the 2020/21 KPL season which is expected to commence as soon as the government gives the green light for the resumption of sports activities in the country.