Shikanda, the chairman of AFC Leopards, attributed their elimination from the FKF Cup tournament to the intense heat surrounding the ongoing Football Kenya Federation elections.
AFC Leopards faced Kenya Police in the semi-final of the domestic competition but suffered a defeat, resulting in their exit from the tournament.
The match, which took place at South C’s sports pavilion, was marred by chaos and was eventually abandoned around the hour mark on Saturday, May 26.
Following the abandonment, it was decided that the remaining 30 minutes would be played the following day, May 27.
Despite the continuation, Kenya Police maintained their slim 1-0 lead from the previous day and progressed to the final.
Shikanda expressed frustration over the circumstances surrounding their elimination, pointing to the distractions caused by the ongoing election campaign ahead of the FKF polls later in the year.
“The politics of elections have also marred this fixture, and we decided that even if it was seven players, let them come and honour the fixture, but it is very sad for our football,” Shikanda told the press.
Ingwe played under protest, and Shikanda explained why they ultimately honoured the fixture.
“This is after we had asked them why Kenya Police were telling us we would play the following day and have gone to camp, yet we were with people from the federation who told us they would meet [on Monday] to decide, after which we released our players and told them to wait until Thursday, only to be told at 10 p.m. that there was a meeting and we would play.”
“We came to play today just for formality because they wanted to suspend us from this tournament for three years, which would have been unfair to me and the officials who will come after my term,” Shikanda added.
Officiating concerns
The Ingwe boss added that they have raised concerns over the level of officiating, even in the Premier League.
“We have had problems with officiating for a long time, and when we look at the results for many matches in our league, we have seen what has been happening.
“It is annoying that we received a letter from the Leagues and Competitions Committee after 8 pm,” he concluded.
With the elimination from the cup tournament, Ingwe will finish the season trophyless again. It has not been a smooth season for the giants given that they struggled in the league, especially in the first round, before finding stability in the second round.
Meanwhile, KCB and Police will battle in the FKF Cup final and fight for a ticket to the CAF Confederation Cup next season.
