Ban will not solve football problems
There is no gainsaying that last week marked one of the darkest days in Kenyan football, when the world governing body Fifa suspended the country from international action over what is said was the government’s inference of the game.
The indefinite banishment came after the Sports Ministry dissolved Football Kenya Federation (FKF) last November for allegedly failing to account for funds advanced to it from the government and other sponsors.
Granted, we all saw the sanctions coming following the stand-off between the beleaguered federation and the ministry under the stewardship of Amina Mohammed;who apparently decided that it was better for the country to bite the bullet than condone wanton misappropriation of funds meant for football development.
But exactly what have we learnt from the unprecedented decision and what are some of the implications? Fifa ban will have immense effects on the real stakeholders who are the players.
The country will also miss out on international matches; sponsors will likely pull out meaning players will have no salaries, allowances and even the international transfers will be a thing of the past.
In essence, Kenyan players will be confined to local action while those based abroad will be restricted from seeking greener pastures.
From the naked eye, before Amina took the step to dissolve FKF and replace it with a caretaker committee, shenanigans had rocked the game, making it a ticking time bomb.
The federation’s alleged failure to account for the Sh245 million meant for Harambee Stars participation in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations held in Egypt , exposed the governing body led by Nick Mwendwa. This led to the disbandment of the federation.
What the world body should know is that Amina’s decision was embraced by the majority of stakeholders who had felt that FKF had taken the law unto itself while hiding behind the possibility of sanctions.
While Fifa must be respected; there is a general belief that it has overstepped its mandate.
The current impasse would not have occurred had Fifa changed its clause to enable member countries to engage it directly whenever there was any impasse.
We believe a middle ground will be reached if the Sports Ministry lives up to its promise of continuously engaging Fifa as has been the case in the last three and a half months.
For this to happen, Fifa needs to embrace the fact that all is not well in Kenyan football.
