Gor Mahia FC has been kicked out of the CAF Champions League even before the start of the tournament for not meeting CAF Club Licensing Rules, the Confederation of African Football has announced.
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Furthermore, Africa’s football governing body has ordered Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to revoke Ko’galo’s license for not paying players’ accrued arrears and failing to meet the deadline of July 20, 5 pm.
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Previously, FKF announced in a line it had cleared Gor and two other clubs to participate in CAF competitions for the 2023-2024 season.
CAF had already issued a warning earlier in June regarding the club licensing process criteria.
Arguably, FKF had invited applications from five clubs, the top four FKF Premier League clubs as well as the finalists of the FKF Cup Competition.
Gor Mahia’s expulsion comes against the backdrop of CAF introducing a new regulatory framework that includes top-flight teams to have a women’s first team participating in an FKF competition.
“Specifically on the sporting criteria in the CAF Men’s Club Licensing Regulations (edition 2022), CAF has now introduced a requirement for women’s football teams, which means that clubs intending to participate in the CAF Interclubs competitions must have at minimum one (01) women’s first team participating in a competition sanctioned by the member association. To comply with this requirement, clubs may operate the women’s team(s) itself or have a written agreement with another entity who operates the team(s).” CAF stated.
What next for the 20th Champi20ns Gor Mahia getting ready Over CAF Match Venues?
Kenyan top-flight record champions Gor Mahia have been clouded with uncertainty over the stadium they will use for CAF Champions League matches.
However, this comes with Kasarani Stadium yet to get the green light from the continental football governing body; Ko’galo has been left searching for options in the neighbouring countries.
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Gor chairman Ambrose Rachier disclosed that the club has already sealed an agreement with Tanzanian side Azam FC for the Kenyan champions to use their facility- Azam Complex Stadium for their CAF home matches.
“We wrote to Azam to allow us to use their home ground for our matches and we are in agreement. We also wrote to Rwanda to use one of their stadiums and we have their nod,” said Rachier.
With a delegation from FIFA expected in the country on July 26 to further inspect Kasarani and Nyayo facilities, Rachier is still optimistic the 60-000 seater stadium will pass the test to host international matches.
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‘’We are expecting a delegation from FIFA on July 26 who are coming on an inspection mission. Our fingers are crossed and should Kasarani pass the test, then we shall use it as our home ground,” the long-serving chairman said.
However, Rachier has however asked stakeholders to fast-track the renovations needed for the facilities to meet international standards.
“It is a big shame that we have to play our home matches away in another country. It has been a long time since FIFA inspected Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums and laid down their demands. But very little has been done.” He said.
The City lawyer also hinted at the possibility of moving their home ground all the way to Rwanda in case they fail to secure venues in Kenya and Tanzania.
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Meanwhile, Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula has maintained that his team will use Bukhungu Stadium as their home ground for their CAF Confederations Cup fixtures.
‘’We will ensure Bukhungu is ready for our home matches. We have talked to the Governor and the Sports Cabinet Secretary and we trust all shall be well,’’ said Shimanyula.
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At the same time, Shimanyula has urged the government to renovate Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums to meet FIFA standards.
