Champions Gor Mahia begin their quest for a fifth straight title away to Tusker in the 2020/21 BetKing Premier League on November 21.
The tentative fixtures for the 2020/21 season, which are subject to change depending on whether the Ministries of Sports and Health authorise contact sports to resume, were released on Wednesday by the league managers.
The league, now under Football Kenya Federation (FKF) after their contract with Kenyan Premier League Limited expired last month, will now be known as the BetKing Premier League.
Gor hammered Tusker 5-2 in the opening fixture of the coronavirus-halted 2019/2020 season, and will begin their campaign away to the Brewers.
In what appears to be a tough run of opening fixtures for the champions, Gor will then take on Ulinzi Stars, before travelling to bogey side Mathare United. A home duel against title-chasing Sofapaka will be next before they take on newcomers Bidco United.
AFC Leopards will be hoping to end their 22-year wait to be crowned Kenyan champions this season and start their BetKing Premier League campaign at home to Western Stima on November 20 before travelling to newly promoted Bidco United for their second game of the season.
Leopards will then travel to Kericho to tackle Zoo on December 4 before hosting Nzoia Sugar five days later. The will then face the winner of the relagation/promotion play-off contest between Kisumu AllStars and Vihiga United on December 14.
Bandari will be once again be seeking their maiden league title and open their season at their Mbaraki backyard against Zoo, before travelling to Westen Stima.
They will then take on title hopefuls Tusker away before playing other title contenders KCB and Sofapaka home and away respectively in their opening five fixtures.
FKF CEO Barry Otieno revealed that they are in talks with the relevant government authorities to allow the league to kick off.
“If we don’t kick off by mid-November then we will be risking Kenyan clubs. They might be ejected from Confederation of African Football (Caf) fixtures for the coming years since our league will not end during the required period. However, we continue engaging the Ministry of Sport and other government authorities as we are cognizant of the fact that the Covid-19 situation is still tricky – we are not out of the woods yet but we have committed to ensuring all the laid down protocols are observed,” Otieno told Nation Sport.
“It is also very key to have the league back as a large chunk of National team players come from our top league and therefore we need them active regularly to ensure Harambee Stars performs well in its assignments,” he added.
Reacting to the fixtures, Bidco United coach Antony Akhulia admits his side faces an uphill task in their first five matches of the new season.
Thereafter, they will face a stern test when they host 12-time winners AFC Leopards, before traveling to Afraha Stadium in Nakuru to meet Ulinzi Stars, who have lifted the trophy four times.
Bidco’s fourth match of the season will be at home against 11-time winners Tusker, before they square it out with 19-time champions Gor Mahia at home.
“Facing four former champions and a team with vast experience in the league is not easy. Theese are five very diffuclt matches, but there is no easy team in the league. Its top level, thus there is no easy match. We wanted to compete in the Premier league, and that is it, at its best. We need to show what we can do at that level,” said Akhulia.
Bidco, whose home ground is Thika stadium, qualified for the BPL by virtue of finishing second in the National Super League, behind Nairobi City Stars in the season that ended prematurely because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a previous interview with Nation Sport, Akhulia said that his side will bank on the experienced players for a good performance.
“Premier League is not easy. It needs people who have been there that is why we brought them (the 10 players) on board, because we want to be a good team not just participants. Once the players have gelled well, we expect to get good results when the season starts,” said Akhulia in September.
