The expulsion of the English Karate Federation has shocked many in the sport and exposed deep governance issues within British karate.

The three home nations of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have passed a vote of no confidence in Roger Williams, President of the British Karate Federation. The move follows months of internal tension that culminated in the BKF’s decision to expel the EKF from its membership.

In a public statement, the BKF explained that the EKF had changed its legal status from a Limited company to a Community Interest Company without prior approval from the BKF board. The federation said this action breached its statutes. The EKF acknowledged this administrative error and issued a public apology, showing a level of accountability rarely seen among national karate bodies.

The BKF also clarified that EKF Ltd and the newly registered EKF CIC are legally separate entities. It added that federation membership is non-transferable and that EKF Ltd is now under the control of a liquidator. According to the BKF, payments for licenses and trademark rights were processed outside the official accounts of EKF Ltd. As a result, the federation no longer has authority to act as the governing body for karate in England.

The decision to remove the EKF has drawn widespread surprise from athletes and coaches, particularly as the replacement organisation, EKNGB Ltd, was registered three months ago and has yet to hold elections and only recently began enrolling clubs. The new body is led by Dale Gamble, a former WKF referee and long-serving EKF Chief Referee who is well known in the British karate community. The BKF now officially recognises EKNGB Ltd as the national governing body for karate in England.

Female referees in EKF event

Legitimacy of the BKF questioned

The dispute within the British Karate Federation continues to escalate. Questions have been raised about the legitimacy of the BKF’s authority to make recent decisions affecting the home nations, as neither the Scottish nor the Northern Ireland karate federations have endorsed the BKF’s 19-point statement.

In a statement issued on 6 October 2025, the Northern Ireland Karate Board publicly distanced itself from the BKF’s announcement of 4 October 2025, which had welcomed a newly formed body to represent England. The NIKB made it clear that it does not support the BKF statement.

The Northern Ireland also expressed concerns about what it described as a lack of robustness and transparency in the BKF’s application of its statutes and regulations. It highlighted what it saw as a failure to uphold the federation’s duty of care towards one of its national members by not exploring all possible options for dialogue and mediation before taking action.

The statement went on to criticise the process through which the BKF decided to remove one of its national members and replace it with another body, saying the procedure was inconsistent with democratic principles. The Northern Ireland Karate Board confirmed that its position aligns with that of the Scottish Karate Federation and that it does not recognise the new federation created to represent England.

London International Cup organised by EKF

Athletes and coaches rally behind EKF

Although the change of legal status from a Limited company to a Community Interest Company is not covered by the statutes of the British Karate Federation, the transformation has been warmly welcomed among English Karate Federation coaches and athletes. Many, commenting on EKF social media posts, described it as a positive step toward greater transparency in management. They believe that under the leadership of Steve Coupland, the federation has continued to improve, while others predict that this transition will open the door to better access to public and sporting funds.

EKF athletes have also reacted to the BKF decision. Jory Chather, a national coach of the English Karate team, has launched a campaign and collected online signatures through a petition urging the World Karate Federation to continue its cooperation with the EKF. He knows that, according to Article 5.6 of the WKF statutes, the authority to affiliate or disaffiliate national federations lies solely with the WKF Executive Board. Chather warns that if misguided decisions continue, the future of many English karate athletes will be affected by political manoeuvring. In part of the petition addressed to the WKF, he wrote:

“Losing the World Karate Federation mandate would not only disrupt the incredible journey our athletes are on, but it would also shake the foundation of karate in England.”

In this regard, contact was also made with the English Karate Federation office to learn about its ongoing cooperation with the European and world karate federations. Their response is reassuring for English karate athletes:

“We are still advised that we are the recognised body in England. However, the membership in the UK is unique and complicated, as the voting rights sit with the BKF, but each home nation pays its membership fee to the WKF. At this time, it is EKF teams that will attend Paris next week and then on to Cairo World Championship. It is also EKF members that will attend the Venice Cup. We continue until we are told differently.”

Photos: EKF social media