Nyamweya wants Kenya-Zambia friendly cancelled
Former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Sam Nyamweya is strongly opposed to the international friendly between Harambee Stars and Zambia.
Stars are scheduled to host Chipolopolo this Friday in Nairobi, but according to Nyamweya, a critic of the current FKF office, the match is uncalled for considering the danger it stands to expose the players in the wake of the coronavirus global pandemic.
Nyamweya has thus called for the cancellation of the tie, accusing the federation of using the friendly for their own selfish interests and disregarding directive given by the Ministry of Sports.
“FKF has thrown caution out of the window and relegated the lives and safety of our players to the periphery.
[And] this then begs the question, who stands to benefit from this ill-advised and hurriedly planned international friendly match if the safety of the national team players is not a factor.
Is there undue pressure to resume football activities to serve other Interest(s) other than sporting considerations? Should this be allowed to override the safety and health of our players?” Nyamweya wondered.
“It is my firm position that the safety of our players is non negotiable and of paramount importance. We should not expose our players to the health risk of getting infected with Covid-19.
In view of the aforementioned, the friendly match against the Zambia national football team should be cancelled forthwith and the merchants pushing for this friendly match named and shamed,” said Nyamweya in a statement.
Nyamweya’s call for cancelation of the match comes as the federation is still awaiting clearance from the ministry three weeks later to stage the friendly in preparation for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nation (Afcon) qualifiers match against Comoros, home and away, scheduled for November 9 and 15.
As FKF awaits clearance, Harambee Stars coach Francis Kimanzi has named his provisional squad comprising both local and foreign based players to hit camp in readiness for the upcoming assignments.
However, captain Victor Wanyama (Montreal Impact, Canada), dependable and high flying goal poacher Micheal Olunga (Kayashiwa Reysol, Japan), recalled goal stopper Arnold Origi, are among confirmed foreign based players that will not be coming for the Zambia friendly encounter due to Covid-19 protocols.
