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Kenya: Soccer - Local Football Still a Fine Mess
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The Nation (Nairobi)
15 May 2008
Posted to the web 15 May 2008
Charles Nyende
Nairobi
The lull in the perennial administrative upheavals in the Kenya Football Federation was too good to last. The crippling tug of war has once again spilled over into the public domain.
The two factions that have been fighting over the last two years for the right to manage the game in the country are at it, again.
First, an annual general meeting that was to be held by the Fifa-recognised KFF sometimes in March was stopped by a high court order obtained by the Government-registered KFF. The Government-registered KFF, under the chairmanship of Sam Nyamweya, went ahead to call for its own AGM on May 24.
Secondly, the Fifa-recognised KFF has been shopping for a contracted coach for Harambee Stars, expected to be announced this week. The Fifa favoured faction have at the same time been desperately looking for the tens of millions of shillings that will allow them put Harambee Stars in a worthy 2010 World Cup/African Nations Cup campaign.
But as they grapple with these problems, the Government-backed KFF this week announced they had appointed a technical bench to manage Stars in the 2010 qualifiers.
Stalemate perpetuates
Thirdly, none of the factions can access the KFF accounts which were frozen by their bank over ownership. Also, whenever one faction approaches a potential partner, the other follows suit claiming they are the genuine office. Just who is fooling who in this sham that is our national football administration?
Whenever one group of football managers feel aggrieved they break away from the mother body and form a faction. Depending on how they manage their support, they will either receive Fifa's backing or the Government's, ensuring the stalemate perpetuates.
This was the case in 2005 when KFF held a controversial AGM that was supported by the government but against Fifa's wish. That AGM suspended the chairman then, Alfred Sambu, and replaced him with Mohammed Hatimy.
Fifa threatened to ban Kenya unless Sambu, who had the support of the Kenyan Premier League clubs, was reinstated. He duly returned in January 2006 after the famous 28-point Cairo agreement.
But another disagreement, this time between Sambu, officials of the KFF NEC and the KPL clubs that led to the emergence of a parallel league, forced Fifa to ban Kenya from international football. Incidentally, Nyamweya was in one of the factions.
Hold fresh elections
The Government joined in the tussle, supporting the KFF and a group of KPL clubs that had sided with the federation. The Government later dissolved the KFF and replaced it with a caretaker committee, a move supported by Sambu and then KFF secretary, Dan Omino.
But a group of KFF officials led by Hatimy successfully reversed the Government's action in court.
This group, toppled Sambu and Omino and agreed to abide by promises KFF had made to Fifa. The country was subsequently reinstated to international football in March 2007. But Sports Minister then Maina Kamanda vowed he would have nothing ever to do with the current KFF office bearers.
A new KFF office under Nyamwaya was registered by the government and has been fighting the Fifa-favoured team since.
The fact now is, the Fifa-recognised KFF has the support of the world governing body, clubs and is running the national leagues while the government registered office has no international recognition nor programmes to talk about.
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The fact also is that there is a serious problem in Kenyan football that needs an urgent resolution agreeable to all. Sports Minister Helen Sambili should immediately meet the two factions separately and together to chart a way forward. Holding fresh elections as soon as possible under the 2001 constitution (all other constitutions are disputed) seems a good starting point. This football sham has got to stop.
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