‘Penniless’ FKF surrenders hosting rights for 2018 Cecafa tourney
Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa has stunned the public after admitting the institution is broke.
While addressing the media at his offices on Tuesday, the youthful football administrator added these financial constraints had forced him to relinquish the hosting rights for the 2018 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup.
He, however, expressed confidence that the situation will not affect the national football team’s preparations and chances of qualifying for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, with a looming clash against Ghana’s Black Stars set for Nairobi on September 8.
Mwendwa, who has been in office for the past three years, also claimed he inherited the current financial mess from his predecessor Sam Nyamweya.
“We have decided to cut down on events that we are doing. We are not going to host Cecafa Senior Challenge this year. We have asked Cecafa to relieve us of that opportunity so that this year we don’t have to do any major event because obviously of how our finances are,” said Mwendwa.
DEBTS
Some of the debts include monies owed to former coaches Adel Amrouche and Bobby Williamson – who has claimed in court that Mwendwa sacked him without following due procedure.
“Our case against Adem Amrouche is at the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne after we appealed a one-man bench at Fifa which awarded him 600,000 dollars (about Sh60 million) earlier in the year. We will fight the appeal and see how it goes.”
“Bobby Williamson has also gone to the labor court and his claim in Sh55 million. The Kenya Revenue Authority are on our case and the claim is between 2021 and 2015 FKF did not remit PAYE for its employees which accumulated to Sh24 million which with penalties became Sh41 million. We are trying to negotiate.”
Following this development, FKF is certain to come under scrutiny for failing to attract sponsors despite enjoying relative goodwill from the club.
At the moment, FKF’S biggest financiers are government and Fifa – which pumps in more than Sh100 million annually for development, training, and facilitation.