Rachier welcomes deadline extension for CAF reps

Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier has lauded the decision by the continental governing body CAF to extend the submission deadline for national representatives for continental clubs competitions.

The tight deadline set had meant Football Kenya Federation would have had to submit a candidate by the end of this month, way before all fixtures had been played.

Rachier says the pressure has now been deflated and it will be upon the Federation to reorganize the League to save the players from overstretched fixtures.

‘’I can say this is a good move since it will allow for time to play as many matches as possible before the eventual representative at the continental level can be decided.

“The initial date was giving pressure to most teams, not only in Kenya but across the continent,’’ Rachier said.

Official communication from CAF to all federations yesterday informed of the extension from June 30 to July 30, giving national federations more time to decide on their finest for the continental showpiece.

“We shall have played over 75 percent of the matches then, and determining the representative the FKF way will be healthy.

“We were not very comfortable with the initial FKF plan but we understand they were under pressure from the initial CAF communication over the deadline,” Rachier said.

Gor captain Harun Shakava said they cannot brag about the extension saying they still have a long way to go.

The towering defender said the number of matches left after the extension gives equal opportunities to all teams in the top-tier League.