Anthony Akhulia blames match fixing for Bidco United's relegation
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Reading Time: 4min | Thu. 21.05.26. | 17:40
Bidco’s relegation did not come as a complete surprise considering the struggles the club endured throughout the season
Bidco United head coach Anthony Akhulia has finally opened up on the club’s relegation from the FKF Premier League, admitting that the warning signs had been evident long before their fate was sealed.
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The Thika-based side’s six-year stay in the top flight officially came to an end last weekend following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Shabana FC in Mwea.
The loss confirmed Bidco’s drop to the National Super League (NSL) after a difficult campaign in which they struggled for consistency, winning only four matches from 32 league outings.
Bidco’s relegation did not come as a complete surprise, considering the struggles the club endured throughout the season.
The team had already flirted with danger during the previous campaign and only survived on the final day after a dramatic 2-0 victory over Sofapaka.
Heading into that decisive fixture rooted at the bottom of the table, Bidco managed to escape the drop by the slimmest of margins.
According to Akhulia, however, the club failed to learn from that escape and instead carried the same problems into the new season, eventually paying the ultimate price.
“What was happening is something I had foreseen. We survived relegation last season on the final day, but we did not change how we do things. To build a good team, you have to spend, but we did not have the budget.
We went for young players, mostly from Division Two, and you cannot really compete with such players because they need at least a season to mature and adapt to the top tier.
“It is very clear that teams that signed young players are struggling, so it is not easy to have a very young team in the league. They need a lot of time to catch up,” said Akhulia.
The experienced tactician also raised concerns over integrity in the league, alleging that questionable goals conceded by his side in several matches may have been influenced by match-fixing.
Akhulia claimed some of the defeats suffered by Bidco this season left the technical bench deeply suspicious, insisting that the growing vice had negatively affected the team’s survival fight.
“Match-fixing is also rampant in this league. There are goals we conceded in some games against Mathare United, Nairobi United, Kakamega Homeboyz and others that were very questionable.
It is a vice that has hit this league, and it took a toll on our team. In a lot of games, we conceded goals that I believe were fixed,” he claimed.
Apart from off-field concerns, Akhulia pointed to injuries as another major setback that disrupted Bidco’s season after a relatively promising start.
“We also had many injuries. We started the season well, but picked up injuries along the way, key injuries that really hurt us,” he added.
The coach further painted a grim picture of the conditions under which the team operated, saying inadequate backing from management severely affected preparations and overall performance levels.
According to Akhulia, Bidco lacked basic training equipment expected of a professional top-flight club, forcing him to personally purchase some items to keep the team going.
“There was not enough support from the management. We did not even have normal training equipment. I had to buy some of the equipment myself.
We were not training like a Premier League team at all. We trained like an amateur side, and that definitely affected our performances in the league,” he revealed.
Despite relegation, Akhulia says he has no immediate plans to leave the club, even though he already has offers on the table from other teams.
The coach insists he will honour his commitment until the end of the season before holding talks with the management over the future.
“I will not walk out. I will finish the season, and after that, we will talk with the management and see the way forward.
If we reach an agreement, we will have to re-discuss how to work together going forward and try to bring the team back to the league,” he said.
On the possibility of making an immediate return to the FKF Premier League, Akhulia believes it can be achieved, but only if major structural and squad changes are made.
“If we get good support and quality players, I believe we will bounce back. There are players in the team right now who I believe will struggle even in the NSL. We will have to improve the squad completely to have a chance of bouncing back.”
Bidco will conclude their disappointing campaign with fixtures against Murang'a Seal and AFC Leopards.
