Satoshi Leaves Camdodian Premier League with Clubs set to take over

After a Saturday meeting between all Cambodian clubs, as well as Monday one for teams in the top-tier, it has been confirmed that Satoshi Saito will be leaving his role as CEO of the Cambodian Premier League with immediate affect.

This follows on from our report on Saturday which you can read here.

More tellingly though we were also told the reason for him leaving the organization was that his contract was not being renewed, rather than him leaving of his own accord. And we have learned why the contract was not renewed?

Why is Satoshi leaving?

In the words of the Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC for failing to deliver his commercial obligations, with this further being explained that not only had he spent too much money, but had failed to bring any into the organization.

Despite the former Metfone C-Leagu bringing in an estimated $500,000 in sponsorship money, the CPL has not only remained without a key sponsor, but has seemingly given “mates rates” to those who are sponsoring. This has included various companies getting high espouse, despite giving prizes rather than cold hard cash. As one manager put it to us “How many AC unites can one player win”?

TV rights were another bone of contention with Satoshi stating he would “raise 3 million” from it, only to end without any TV deal at all for 2022 and reverting back to BTV in 2023-24.

What has been the reaction of clubs?

Clubs from top to bottom have largely been happy about the decision to get rid of Satoshi, with stakeholders generally upset about finances and the overall running of things, with one club manager telling CSR “Costs ave gone up related to licensing, but we are not getting more money”.

This was something also acutely felt in the Cambodian Second Division, where expenses have gone down, despite 9 clubs going bankrupt or dropping out during the Satoshi era. As one CPL Chairman put it “We had a stronger second division under CNCC. Not only did we lose 9 clubs, but CPL 2 is now little more than a reserve league”.

Many were also a little dumfounded by Satoshi posting numerous photos of himself “at work” before the Phnom Penh Crown game (https://www.thestreetfoodguy.com/watching-the-afc-cup-in-cambodia-phnom-penh-crown-3-macarthur-0/), with the general belief being that ego and face were being put ahead of the good of the league. As we know now Satoshi already knew at this point that he would be leaving.

Overall though the clubs simply want a clean break and for him to leave as soon as possible, rather than drag it out. It is understood the existing staff are being relied on keep the league flowing in the lemmatize.

What next for the CPL?

According to the FFC the long-term plan is for a new company to be formed which would majority owned by the clubs of the Cambodian Premier League, as has happened England and other leagues. In this instance minority shares would be held by the FFC and potentially sponsors.

Before this happens though clubs are keen to see the previous accounts of the CPL, with many now questioning if $3 million dollars was indeed wasted, and if so where has it gone.

Yet while the CPL and FFC might be reticent to share this information, transparency and indeed the a cash injection from the CPL will both be required if the league expects the clubs to take over the running of the domestic game in Cambodia.