FKF announces shift in registration, transfer of players

Football Federation of Kenya (FKF) has announced a major shift in the domestic and international registrations and transfers of players, coming to effect on June 2nd this year.

According to a communiqué sent by the Federation’s CEO Robert Muthomi to the newsrooms, FKF will be in charge of the business; a move aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the sport and will affect all Kenyan Premier League, National Super League and Division one clubs.

Previously, it was Kenyan Premier League (KPL) management prerogative as far as transfers in the top flight are concerned.

The resolution was arrived at during last week’s FKF’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, as provided for by FIFA statutes.

According to FIFA circular No. 1537 dated May 3, 2016 Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, Categorization of clubs, registration periods and eligibility, FKF has the power to oversee all player registrations and transfers in all leagues in the country.

“In conclusion, we would like to highlight that, in principle, the registration of players for their clubs falls under the competence of each association, while due attention must be paid to the provisions contained in the Regulations which are binding at national level,” reads the circular in part.

“In this context, we would also like to remind you that it is the responsibility of the association concerned to ensure that its own national regulations as well as the provisions of the Regulations that are binding at national level are respected and applied uniformly, and that attempts to circumvent them are suppressed accordingly.

“Furthermore, we wish to emphasize that, in any case, it remains the relevant association’s responsibility to duly consider the sporting integrity of its competitions,” concludes the document.

In light of the impending change as put; registering all contract (professional) players in Kenya, all Kenyan adults, youths and academy players, women players and administration of all transfers of professional players and minors (under 18) applications via the FIFA TMS database, will be under the remit of the FKF starting June 02 2016.

The federation will also oversee processing all other international clearance requests and liaise with all leagues in Kenya to maintain the running of the Central Registrations Database (CRD) while overseeing all intermediary activities within Kenya.

“However, the current KPL regulations on player transfer will remain valid until a new rule book is put in place at the end of the 2016 season. In addition, players who are already registered with KPL will retain their current license numbers, while those who are yet to be registered will be captured on the new FKF License,’’ clarified the federation to facilitate smooth transition from the current order.

At the end of the 2016 season all KPL players will be licensed afresh under the FKF License numbers, with those participating in the lower leagues, academies and FKF sanctioned tournaments following the suit during the same period.