Covid relief: 5m for KPL, NSL clubs

In a bid to cushion players against the global Covid-19 pandemic that has grossly affected football activities, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) in partnership with an online betting firm has unveiled a Sh. 5.2 million package for Kenyan Premier League (KPL) and the National Super League (NSL) players.

FKF and their partners unveiled the fund in an event at the Goal Project – FKF House on Thursday, the fisrt to be rolled out since the leagues were stopped due to the pandemic.

Every club (17 KPL and 19 NSL) will have their 30 players each take home Sh. 5,000 from the initiative.

At hand to receive the token was Gor Mahia captain Kenneth Muguna and his Nairobi City Stars counterpart Anthony Kimani, on behalf of the 36 clubs.

“Thank for this kind gesture towards us,” said Kenneth Muguna.

Anthony Kimani, on his part, welcomed the token, saying: “We feel appreciated. Never before has football been suspended to this extent and this token, though not enough, will go a long way in cushioning us against the economic effects of the global pandemic.”

While presenting the cheque to FKF President Nick Mwendwa and the two captains, the betting firm’s Commercial Head John Mbatia reiterated their commitment to supporting Kenyan football.

“Football has been largely affected by this pandemic and it is for this reason that we opted to partner FKF in supporting our players,” he said.

FKF President Nick Mwendwa, meanwhile, thanked them for coming through for the players, and called on other partners to consider extending support to players from lower tier leagues, who have also been affected by the pandemic.

“I want to thank you for this kind gesture towards KPL and NSL clubs,” Mwendwa said.

“As a Federation, we remain committed to exploring measures that cushion our players, right from the grassroots to the top tier leagues, during this time when football has been largely affected,” he added.

This is in addition  to the Sh. 90 million investment into the NSL as well as the community grassroot leagues, by the betting firm.