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| Kenya faces new FIFA sanction |
Infuriated by Kenya's plans to set up a caretaker committee for Kenya Football Federation (KFF), FIFA president Sepp BLATTER has just issued a fresh warning to the Kenyan government against meddling in the running of the KFF.
Refering to FIFA Congress due to meet on 30-31 May Mr BLATTER has warned Kenya: "If the government doesn't stop interfering in football, the Congress will take action. We are appealing to Kenya and their government: 'let the players play.' In Kenya football is being held hostage by politics. The players deserve more respect."
BLATTER'S reaction came after he learned that a government structure was intervening once again in the running of football in Kenya. On Thursday 12 April Kenya registrar's office confirmed that it was setting up a caretaker committee on an interim basis until an annual general meeting could be convened. Deputy registrar of office S. M. NGANGA confirmed that information. Besides that committee leader Peter OCHIEL declared: "We have started running football and we shall announce our programme soon." FIFA then wrote to the CAF on Thursday 12 April to warn that Kenya's recent return to international football could again be revoked.
One can remeber that Kenya was banned from international competitions last October because of a failure to fulfil a 28-point agreement concluded in Cairo last year, and for protracted problems in its troubled Federation. The ban was lifted last March but with conditions attached, including non-interference by the Kenyan government and the withdrawal of pending legal procedings. Yet two premier league clubs have already flouted the agreement by continuing to challenge their relegation before the country's civil courts. "All this confusion is just created for the sake of trying to save two clubs and to damage every effort to rebuild really. I wonder whether (they) will ever learn anything.", declared Jerome CHAMPAGNE, FIFA's presidential delegate for special affairs.
Samuel MBAJUM
(Source: BBC Sport)
21/05/2007 |
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