This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
Gor Mahia head coach Steven Polack has expressed concerns over the uncertainty surrounding the 2019/20 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the league's conclusion.
Polack, who was awarded the Fidelity Insurance coach of the month for March 2020, believes it is 'impossible' for the season to be played to its conclusion, given the current circumstances.
As of March, the KPL season was suspended with Gor Mahia sitting at the top of the table, and despite Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa declaring Gor Mahia the champions and announcing Nairobi City Stars' promotion, KPL Limited has maintained that the league will not rush a decision on how to conclude the season.
With the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) set to rule on the status of the current season on June 30, Polack has urged the concerned football authorities to make a quick decision on the fate of the current season.
“Let KPL and FKF sort themselves out. But if they say we play, we will play. I’m confident in my players and staff. So, if they say we are playing tomorrow or we are starting in a few weeks then we will start,” Polack said.
Polack also expressed concerns over the potential delay in the start of the new season, citing the need for a 60-day gap between the conclusion of the previous season and the start of the new one.
“That means, the season won’t finish until either September or October. By the rules which I have read, after the last game of your season, you need to have 60 days before the first game of the new season starts. So, basically that means we will start the new season in January,” Polack said.
Polack also spoke about Gor Mahia's plans ahead of next season's CAF Champions League, emphasizing the need for stability and strengthening the squad.
“First of all, we have to look at the players’ contracts. Some of their contracts are running down, so we need to know those ones we are going to keep or release. But we need to learn from the last CAF competition, we need to strengthen our squad because it’s not easy to play in those competitions,” Polack said.
