By Janet Mweni,

AFC Leopards new coach Pieter De Jong has pleaded with Kenya Premier League (KPL) officials to look into way’s of relieving team’s with different engagements from the pressure of clogged fixtures.

 He said his club has been a victim of congested fixtures adding that since they arrived back from the Nile Basin tournament in Sudan,they have  hadly no time to rest.

 This players,he added,are human beings.They are  not walking machines. The football administrators should  be  considerate  by putting up dates that will be fair to  the affected clubs.It has been traumatizing for us since each match we are getting more injuries “ Observed the Dutch born tactician.

Speaking after the  Top Eight semi final pitting AFC Leopards against Kenya Commercial Bank(KCB) at the Nyayo National Stadium,De Jong said  it was by God’s grace that they were  able to win  all their matches.

   Currently,there are three tough tournaments  taking shape namely KPL ,Top Eight and the GoTV Shield tournament that is taking its toll on some team’s and players.

  “ I’m very much worried with the current trend.We have played  so many tough matches   since we came back from Sudan.I’m informed we are playing another tough side Tusker this weekend. Today,two of my key players  have been stretched out with serious injuries.I don’t  know how soon they will recover and yet we have  a  crucial match on Sunday against Tusker .This is  quite strange “he noted.

 “As much as we want ,he added,to create competition and make the League vibrant,our football administrators must be realistic and remain fair to all team’s.They should address the issue of congested fixtures to some clubs that lag behind because of other  engagements  which are unavoidable,

  He said it was impossible for him as a coach to have a  different team everyday.’I’m still new to the team and I do not know the individual capabilities of all the players .Rotation will not be easy  since I have many injuries in our medical yard”he concluded

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com