Amina on FIFA Suspension: We’ll continue cleaning up football mess

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 26 – Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has cast aspersions on the World Football Governing Body’s (FIFA) decision to suspend Kenya from international soccer.

However, the CS said they will continue engaging FIFA as she has been the case in the last three and a half months.

Amina says she expects FIFA to take notice of all the positive developments taking place and allow Kenya to carry on with its legally prescribed mandate to put its own house in order and then work with FIFA on normalization and fresh elections.

“We intend to keep FIFA informed as we have done until now on the going cases, investigations and the actions that we are taking. We hope FIFA will reciprocate and keep Kenyans informed on actions they intend to take with respect to issues we have raised on suspected misappropriation of their resources.”

In a two-page statement, the CS explained that the decision taken by the Government of Kenya on November 11,2021, to disband Football Kenya Federation (FKF) fully adhered to the Laws of Kenya.

The CS also noted that the Government decision followed a legally prescribed process and had a defined roadmap.

Amina added that the decision was taken after it became crystal clear that the way FKF was managing Kenya’s football growth and development was unsustainable and untenable.

On Thursday, Kenya and Zimbabwe were both sidelined by FIFA owing to government interference in the running of the game.

“Apparently, FIFA does not relate to governments and stakeholders. It considers them a nuisance. FIFA, however, still expects the same governments and stakeholders to fund football with no transparency and/or accountability in total disregard for national laws, institutions, values and practices,” Amina charged.

She added that the government tried unsuccessfully to communicate with FIFA even with respect to resources that FIFA and CAF quietly gives federations and which they suspected were not used as intended to no avail.

“The lack of accountability for monies entrusted to it by the government and people of Kenya was raised with FKF on many occasions to no avail. We tried on many occasions to bring the matter which had festered for long to the attention of FIFA with no success as well. It seemed to us at times that FIFA and FKF were reading from the same book,” Amina’s statement read.

She added that football in Kenya had deteriorated at all levels due to this mismanagement and had led to a public outcry.

Amina also clarified that the Government always has a responsibility to its citizenry to act in the public interest.

She also cited the approach taken by FKF to become a law unto themselves and ignore its stakeholders, discourage the youth and make it clear that they had neither talent nor a future in football, firing and hiring of coaches in total disregard for signed contracts and the inherent conflict of interest that was always present.

These and others, she said, demanded action from somewhere “and the Registrar took action anchored on our laws.”

“FIFA, in fact, in our case and many others, showed so much reluctance to engage with government, for good order, for universal principles of accountability and transparency that we were left with no choice than to allow it to manage football as we complied with our laws and demanded accountability for monies entrusted to the Federation for use on our youth.”

 The CS hoped that CAF will reconsider its decision on Harambee Starlets who had fully prepared for the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) Qualifiers by listening to voices of those who have mismanaged football.

Amina wants FIFA to take notice of all the positive developments taking place and allow Kenya to carry on with its legally prescribed mandate to put its own house in order and then work with the country on normalization and fresh elections.

“We instead learnt through the media of a suspension based on government interference. We will continue cleaning up, putting systems of accountability in place as well as a draft constitution that is fully aligned to the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the FIFA statute and to good order and globally recognized values.”

“We hope FIFA will reciprocate and keep Kenyans informed on actions they intend to take with respect to issues we have raised on suspected misappropriation of their resources,” She said.