NSL coaches urge FKF to keep the game on the pitch, not in court

The dispute stems from a challenge before the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) and the High Court regarding the Football Kenya Federation’s (FKF) implementation of the revised 2025 competition rules.

The legal challenge centres on whether the season should follow the traditional 2019 system, which features automatic promotion for two teams and a playoff for the third slot, or the revised system, which enforces automatic promotion and relegation for three to four clubs without a playoff.

With orders halting the implementation of the rules pending a final verdict, the future of both the FKF Premier League, scheduled to kick off on August 22, and the NSL, scheduled for August 29, remains uncertain.

Kibera Black Stars team manager Kevin Adongo criticised the reliance on court litigation to settle sporting outcomes, pointing out that administrative battles directly destabilise preseason preparations and budget allocations.

“First of all, that court case severely affects team planning. As a genuine football person, those who deserve to be relegated should go down, and those who deserve promotion should go up.”

There is no one who does not know how many teams were slated to be relegated. Football ends on the pitch, not in courtroom battles,” stated Adongo.

He also emphasised that the game should not be treated like political or land disputes, urging stakeholders to respect the results achieved on the field.

“Those taking football to court are destroying the sport. Football is not a piece of land or politics, matches are concluded on the pitch. If you were beaten, accept it. Everyone had time to prepare and pull themselves up. Let us stop taking football to court,” he argued.

Echoing the same words, Darajani Gogo, assistant coach Caleb Aringa, whose side finished 17th last season amid the relegation fight, insisted that clubs must prioritize fixing tactical errors on the pitch rather than relying on boardroom outcomes.

He noted that the club is yet to start their preseason as they await the final verdict, which may affect their tactical and physical readiness.

“It will affect us, because football nowadays is about preseason. If you cannot do periodization, it is hard. For now, we haven’t even started training because we are waiting for the outcome of the case,” Aringa stated.

He further warned that prolonged court proceedings would interrupt the entire football calendar across the country’s league structure.

“In general for Kenyan football, things need to be fast-tracked. It will affect the calendar because even the top tier cannot start without clarity,” he concluded.

With kick-off dates for both divisions fast approaching, coaches across the lower and upper tiers are urging the federation and the courts to deliver a decisive ruling.