Why we lost our FKF-PL status Mururi

Vihiga United head coach Mike Mururi has attributed their relegation from the Football Kenya Federation Premier League to a litany of factors.

Vihiga lost their spot in the top-tier league at the weekend after suffering a 2-1 aggregate defeat to new boys Administration Police who will now take up their place in the top division as the Vihiga-based side drops to the second-tier league, the National Super League.

And in an interview with Citizen Digital, Mururi attributes their defeat to poor preparations, lack of a proper training ground and financial crisis.

The team is sponsored by the county government of Vihiga, through its county sports kit but has gone without pay for some months, and the delay in paying bonuses seems to be taking toll on the squad.

“I think the problem began when players started missing from training. For about three weeks after our last KPL match, they absconded training, I believe it (missing training) had a negative impact to us. We played our first leg without training for three weeks…This was a poor preparation for us,” he lamented.

Mururi attributes the lack of financial flow to the failure by the national government to disburse money to counties making it hard for the county to bankroll the team.

The Mike Mururi coached side normally holds their training sessions at Kidundu stadium, which is far from completion and the tactician explains that the poor state of the ground also played a part in their failure to retain the top-tier status.

The dilapidated state of the facility, according to Mururi, means they cannot host league matches therein denying them the chance to enjoy the home ground advantage that comes with having fans in attendance.

He’s now calling on the county government to refurbish the facility.

“Vihiga has a lot of talents to nurture but sports ground is a big problem. We have a number of playing grounds and if the county can come up with one big standard sports  ground, it will be a relief,” he noted.

At the same time Mururi is facing an uncertain future with a number of his key players wanting out.

Goalkeeper Odour Mustapha, forward Omondi Stewart and Luvanda Lawrence are reportedly being lured by champions Tusker which could weaken the squad should they elect to go, and Mururi asserts he cannot stand in the way of players who have offers elsewhere.

“I haven’t received any official communication from the team officials (Tusker). I can’t hold a player when there is greener pasture ahead of him. As a club, we already advised them to showcase their talents,” said Mururi.

With their relegation, they join Western Stima and Zoo in the National Super League and has a toughtask of ensuing the team regains their top-tier status at the end of the upcoming season.

Ali Endere