Kisumu Simba men’s hockey club are yet to play a match in the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) League this year with a month to go before the season ends.
A change in format saw KHU employ a pooling system of play in the league and Kisumu were paired with pool ‘A’ leaders, Greensharks, USIU-A, defending champions, Kenya Police, Western Jaguars, Parkroad and Sikh Nakuru.
Kisumu Simba, however, have not featured in the new season in protest to KHU’s decision to dock them two points for fielding an ineligible player last season.
That decision saw Kisumu Simba relegated to third place on the table behind champions Police and Nairobi Simba which subsequently knocks them out of contention for a place to represent Kenya in next month’s Africa Club Championship in Tunisia.
Interestingly, it is Nairobi Simba who challenged Kisumu Simba for fielding Ken Nyongesa, whom they alleged did not have proper transfer documents from Strathmore University—an appeal they won.
Kisumu Simba are however, still eagerly waiting to make their maiden appearance at the continental event despite their no show in the new campaign.
KHU also seems to have left the lake side team in the cold after drafting Greensharks in their place for this weekend’s fixture against Sikh Nakuru, the league organisers telling them to ‘be patient’ because they wasted time by not honouring previous fixtures.
“They will be drafted but they need to be patient,” said KHU vice chairperson Ellynah Shiveka. Kisumu now want the union to solve the issue quickly.