Satoshi Saito Will Leave Cambodian Premier League

After a meeting between the Football Federation of Cambodia, the Cambodian Premier League and clubs from the CPL and Cambodian Second League it has been confirmed that CPL CEO Satoshi Saito will not be having his contract renewed.

The meeting, which tellingly was held at a restaurant, rather than at the CPL offices was to confirm his departure, as well as discuss the future of the league for the rest of the season.

What was confirmed?

According to sources in attendance the main thing that was confirmed was the rumors, as previously reported by CSR that Satoshi will not have his contract renewed, with it due to run out on December 31st.

It was also done to clear the air after various media had been resting on the affair, while the CPL remained all, but silent, even posting bizarre pictures of Satoshi in the huge and underused CPL office.

The point was also made at the meeting that it was the decision of the FFC and CPL not to renew the contract, rather than Satoshi deciding to leave, finally answering the “did he jump, or was he pushed question”.

It is understood that no replacement will be sought out for yet, at least until the league and its governance can be restructured.

What next for the CPL?

It is understood that for all intents the league will continue as normal, with the current staff being aided by the FFC, at least until the end of the season. After that it is hoped that the league can be restructured in a way that will give clubs not only more ownership, but also a say in how the division is run.

A full press release from the CPL, FFC and stakeholder clubs is set to be released on November 1st, after which we at least plan to delve more into the story.

Until then, we can continue watching matches in Cambodia as normal.