Coronavirus: Gor Mahia joins KCB to opt against playing in FKF Shield Cup

BetOdds Coronavirus Gor Mahia v Posta Rangers Posta Rangers Gor Mahia KPL

The Kenyan champions have joined the Bankers to skip their scheduled Round of 16 matches of the knockout competition

Gor Mahia have confirmed they will not be able to travel to Nakuru to take on Posta Rangers in the FKF Shield Cup Round of 16 match on Saturday.

The match is among those the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) confirmed will go ahead and will be played behind closed doors after the first case of the deadly coronavirus was confirmed in Kenya on Friday.

While KCB has already confirmed they will not be able to play against Wazito FC on Saturday to help curb the spread of Covid-19 virus, Gor Mahia have also revealed they can only play the fixture on Sunday since they had already released their players after the government issued a directive on Friday.

“We refer to your above statement released this evening [Friday], indicating that FKF Shield Cup fixture scheduled for this weekend will kick off as planned,” Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier stated in a statement obtained by Goal.

“Regrettably, following and relying on the government statement on coronavirus released on Friday, we disbanded our team, released the players and cancelled our travelling arrangements to Nakuru.

“We are now not able to reassemble the team in good time. Further and with respect, our travelling to Nakuru will entail checking into a hotel and mingling with unknown persons against safety precautions.

“Besides our attention has been drawn to the attached statement from the office of Confederation of African Football [Caf] on the same subject which are instructive. In the circumstances, we request you to reschedule our match against Posta Rangers for tomorrow (Sunday).”

The other Shield Cup matches planned for this weekend include Sofapaka travelling to Mombasa to take on Bandari, National Super League (NSL) side Fortune Sacco will face their rivals Bidco United at Kianyaga Stadium while on Sunday, AFC Leopards will come up against NSL outfit Ushuru FC at Kenyatta Stadium.

Ulinzi Stars will have to overcome the Migori Youth hurdle to progress to the next phase as Kariobangi Sharks battle FC Talanta in Machakos after the AFC Leopards against Ushuru match.

The final will be held on May 30 and the winner gets a Caf Confederation Cup slot as well as aSh2 million cash prize.

2020-03-14 10:00:02

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