Sportspesa given go ahead to sponsor AFC Leopards
By Palinyang Billy Gabriel
Sportspesa has been given go ahead to sponsor AFC Leopards.
The Sports Dispute Tribunal (SDT) ruled that betting firm SportPesa will precede with their sponsorship of Kenyan Premier League side AFC Leopards starting immediately and heading into the 2016 season that kicks off this weekend.
Interim Management Committee (IMC) member Peter Lichungu has confirmed that the ruling has already been made with the company set to announce the deal formally.
“The tribunal ruled in favour of SportPesa after listening to submissions from all ends (Betway, Sportpesa and IMC) and decided that the former deal was best suited for the KPL side in the coming days.
That is how it will go because this is a court ruling” he said.
AFC Leopards had earlier on unveiled Betway as its shirt sponsor for a tune of Ksh. 30M for a period of three years, a deal that was later cancelled by tribunal forcing them to go to court.
The Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) summoned both sponsors to shed more light on their recent different sponsorship deal with AFC Leopards’ warring factions after which details emerged of alleged underhand dealings that would cost the club.
Betway officials appeared on Friday 5 February before the Sports Tribunal chaired by prominent Nairobi Lawyer John Ohaga.
According to a source within SDT, it was discovered that two top AFC Leopards officials who were behind the Betway sponsorship received a huge amount of cash as down payment and failed to disclose the deal to the tribunal and the other faction led by Daniel Mule.
The decision is likely to settle matters at the Den with the club hoping to settle its financial turbulence that has seen it lose a host of key players in the recent past.
