Former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Sam Nyamweya has appealed to the World football governing body – Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) – to form a normalisation committee in a bid to bring to an end the controversy surrounding Kenyan football.
On Thursday, FIFA suspended Kenya indefinitely from all football activities over grounds of government interference with local soccer activities.
But in a rejoinder, Nyamweya has urged the FIFA President Gianni Infantino led body to reconsider its stance in helping restore sanity and order in soccer of East African nation.
“CS Amina meant well to disband FKF which had brought Kenyan football to its knees.However caretaker committee is not recognised by FIFA hence the government should initiate dialogue with FIFA in reaching a consensus that will lead to both parties submitting names towards formation of normalisation committee to run Kenyan football interimly before elections” he said.
In a letter to the disbanded federation’s secretary general Barry Otieno, FIFA asked the government to: “repeal of the Cabinet Secretary’s decision of 11 November 2021 appointing the caretaker committee in lieu of the elected FKF Executive Committee.”
The world governing body said it would only lift the suspension upon “receipt of confirmation from the FKF and its management, led by Vice-President Doris Petra and General Secretary Barry Otieno that the FKF and its premises are once more under their full and unconditional control.”
Sports Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohamed, on November 11 last year disbanded the Nick Mwendwa-led Football Kenya Federation and installed a Caretaker Committee to, among other things, run football activities in accordance with the federation’s constitution.
According to the FIFA Statutes (2018), each member association is responsible to FIFA for any acts of the members of their bodies.
In June 2004, FIFA suspended Kenya for three months due to government interference.
Other countries that have faced a similar suspension from Fifa include Chad, Sierra Leonne, Pakistan and Peru.
With the suspension, Kenya will not be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions.
By Fred Azelwa.