St Joseph’s Boys Kitale will represent Trans-Nzoia County in football in the Rift Valley regional competitions after their win against St Anthony’s was upheld.
They had beaten them 2-0 in the finals, but they went ahead to appeal citing fielding of ineligible players, claiming some of the players had not met the 90-day school attendance rule.
The allegations were found to be baseless after St Joseph’s provided authentic documents and verification through the KNEC network.
The jury that heard the case, chaired by Principal Patrick Munikah, stated that the evidence presented by the complainants was insufficient.
“The documents provided by the complainants were not valid. After checking online, we confirmed that they are legitimate students of St Joseph’s and had met all the requirements,” Munikah said.
St Joseph’s Boys coach Amos Juma said he knew his team was compliant, asserting that the team was prepared from last year after losing 2-0 in the semi-finals to St Anthony’s.
“My boss would never allow the use of ineligible players. His main goal is to develop the talents of the students he teaches, which is why he started an academy at the school. Nabungolo understands the rules and would never use mercenaries to play for the school team,” Juma stated.
The coach expressed great joy, mentioning that even when St Anthony Boys appealed, they were not worried. He assured fans that they will perform well in Bomet as the team is already in a training camp outside Trans-Nzoia.
Meanwhile St Joseph’s Girls will represent Trans-Nzoia in girls’ soccer after winning an appeal they filed against Wiyeta Girls.
Having lost 1-0, St Joseph’s Girls appealed citing that Wiyeta had fielded overage players.
Evidence presented showed that one player was overage, giving St Joseph the through pass to the Bomet extravaganza.
Principal Rosebella Munzala Orwaro, who previously worked at Wiyeta and won several titles including Chapa Dimba, said she had enough evidence to appeal. She urged teachers to use legitimate students in school games.
“If I had lost fairly, I would have accepted it. Last year, they beat me 1-0, and I accepted. This year, I prepared a team mostly composed of first and second-year students; there are very few third and fourth-year students,” Munzala said.
In rugby, an appeal against St Anthony Boys and Bwake lacked sufficient evidence, leading St Anthony to concede to Bwake, which will now represent them in the Rugby 7s.
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By Osborne Benn
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