FKF clears three clubs for CAF Confed Cup and Champions League

Tusker FC, Gor Mahia FC and Kakamega have met the threshold to feature at Confederation of African Football (CAF) competitions for the 2023-2024 season if they qualify for them.

The three have been granted club licenses by Football Kenya Federation’s First Instance Board (FIB), allowing them the chance to participate in either of the the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.

The FIB is an independent decision-making body set up by all CAF’s Member Associations to review clubs’ license applications and thereafter grant or reject CAF or local league club licenses.

Following a CAF circular issued earlier this month regarding the club licensing process and requisite criterion, FKF invited applications from five clubs: The top four FKF Premier League clubs as well as the finalists of the FKF Cup Competition.

The applications were made on CAF’s new club licensing platform (CLOP), an online tool for managing the club licensing process.

The applicants are required to submit online applications and documents that adhere to five-pillar criteria: sporting, infrastructure, personnel and administrative, legal, and financial.

Out of the five, Kakamega Homeboyz, Gor Mahia, and Tusker FC submitted their application by the June 15, 2023 deadline. Nzoia Sugar and Kenya Police, however, were unable to submit their bids on time.

Consequently, after scrutiny of the documents submitted by the clubs, the FIB ascertained that the clubs had met the minimum requirements set out in the CAF Club Licensing Regulations. The CAF Club licensing committee will ratify the granted licenses.

The development has seen Kenya become among the first countries within the African Confederation to grant CAF Interclub Competitions licenses barely seven months after FIFA lifted a ban on the country.

Speaking on the latest licensing milestone, FKF General Secretary / CEO Barry Otieno said: “Club Licensing is singularly the most viable pathway to ensure professional management and sustainable development of our football.”

He added: “For a long time, we have focused on a national football administration structure yet our roots, the clubs, are built on quicksand structures. Club licensing introduces a critical framework to strengthen football at the foundation of the game. As a Federation, we are committed to guiding the clubs to meet standards to ensure professionalism and sustainability.”

In a related development, the CEO/General Secretary announced that the Club Licensing process for the FKF Premier League clubs will start within the month of July ahead of the 2023/24 season set to kick off in two months’ time.