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KPL reduces foreign players’ quota


The Kenyan Premier League Chief executive Officer Jack Oguda has announced changes to the foreign players quota starting next season following a Governing Council meeting.

In the changes, each KPL club will be allowed a maximum of five foreign players on its squad down from seven that Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards and Sofapaka have been allowed to sign.

“This rule applies to all the Premier League clubs, and not just those taking part in continental assignments. Each team will be allowed to sign only five foreigners who will be eligible for fielding in any given match,” Oguda said.

During the Governing Council meeting club chairmen expressed concern with the number of foreigners in the local league via-a-vis local players.

The club officials felt the influx of foreigners in the league was doing more harm than good to the development of local talent, and that the partisan rule gave the three clubs undue advantage against teams who were allowed to field less foreign players.

CONTINENTAL DUTY

“You will remember that the allowance for Gor, Sofapaka and Leopards was brought about by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) at the beginning of the season because the three were taking part in continental duty, but we have had to redefine the rule because the some council members feel that it is unfair to have a foreign player rule that excludes other clubs competing in the same league,” he said.

The matter had been brought up as an AOB by the Gor Mahia officials who lamented that it was pointless and expensive to sign seven players in the club and have two of those waste away on the stands in every match in honor of the rule.

“A foreign player is one that has extraordinary qualities and so we felt it is useless to be allowed to sign seven players, and be able to use only five. We had hoped to be allowed to field all seven to avoid a situation where two expensively acquired players have to sit out for no reason,” Gor assistant Secretary General Ronald Ngala told Daily Nation Sport prior to the meeting.