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Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards will learn on Friday whether or not their sponsorship with betting companu Sportpesa will be renewed.\u00a0 Officials from both clubs have been meeting with Sportpesa.<\/p>\n
Sportpesa CEO Ronald Karauri gave hopes of returning following a series of meetings with the two clubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had meetings with the clubs\u2019 officials and by tomorrow we will make a decision,\u201d said Karauri. \u201cHowever, whether the sponsorship will be reinstated is dependent on the clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been very positive and very soon we can conclude and decide to move on with the sponsorship. There are commitments from their side and by the look of things they seem like they can deliver on their promises,\u201d said Karauri.<\/p>\n
KPL CEO Jack Oguda has outlined steps that the KPL will take to curb the menace of hooliganism.\u00a0 He specifically spoke about the role that match stewards play.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been able to invite Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards to this forum so that we are able to discuss with them how we can do away with this menace. One of them is to ensure that the stewards\u2019 roles are well documented in contracts towards safety. Those with good conducts will be employed s stewards,\u201d said Oguda to Supersport<\/p>\n
The KPL has also been criticised for handling the two teams with kid gloves after they have committed offences but Oguda was quick to dispel that as a misplaced perception.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always take steps with some matches being played without fans while a cash fine has been imposed in other instances, but the problem is the recurrence so we might take stricter rules as the FKF president suggested last week since it also affects us as KPL,\u201d Oguda added.<\/p>\n
Poor and sometimes biased officiating has been a primary cause of hooliganism and Oguda has announced that he is working with FKF to address the issue.<\/p>\n
“I think in terms of officiating maybe our standard are not that good but we have been meeting with FKF to ensure we improve the level of officiating. Recently two referees have been suspended and we will continue to do that until we remain with the best ones officiating Kenya’s top tier leagues, said Oguda to futaa.com<\/p>\n
Aside from taking measures to curb hooliganism, both Gor Mahia and AFC will need to engage in public relations activities to repair their image which is dented whenever there is an act of hooliganism however slight. The Mater Heart Run is a good start.<\/p>\n