Chinese firm StarTimes has pulled out of the deal with organizers of the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) due to alleged breach of contract.
StarTimes for the past one year has been the official broadcast sponsor of the FKFPL which is organized by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF).
The pay-TV service providers had signed a seven-year contract with FKF worth USD 10 million per season, but have now pulled out of the deal.
In a statement, StarTimes Public Relations Manager, Alex Mwaura said the termination was as a result of a breach of contract on the part of the FKFPL.
“Over the years, we have initiated efforts geared towards football development, as seen through various legend tours aimed at instilling technical and professional soccer skills to targeted beneficiaries,” the statement reads.
“The media and commercial rights agreement was, therefore, a culmination of our commitment as a brand to support the development of Kenyan football in our appreciation that a strong domestic league is always a foundation to build a strong national team which would be the pride of the nation.
“To this end, we have honoured our part of contractual obligations, including but not limited to the timely disbursement of copyright fees.
“However, after a careful review of the contract performance, which is now in its second season, we regret to announce that we have taken the painful decision to withdraw our media and commercial rights sponsorship with the now-disbanded Football Kenya Federation.
“This however doesn’t mean that StarTimes is moving away from sponsorships of this nature.
“We wish to assure Kenyans that as and when attractive opportunities that touch on sports development arise, we will be open to considering mutually beneficial partnerships which do not endanger our brand reputation or business objectives.
“This decision has likewise been communicated to the relevant stakeholders, including the recently appointed Football Kenya Federation normalization committee.”
In a related development, thousands of football stakeholders will have to bear consequences of StarTimes’ decision to switch off broadcast.
Photo credit:Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
