Football stakeholders blast Fifa, Ababu Namwamba in fresh impasse
Former FKF president Sam Nyamweya has equated the recent visit by Fifa officials in Kenya to a Public Relations (PR) stunt.
In a statement, the veteran football administrator, speaking on behalf of football stakeholders, accused Fifa officials of snubbing them.
The stakeholders have also questioned why embattled FKF president Nick Mwendwa was allowed to attend meetings with Fifa officials yet the administrator has active criminal cases.
“The mission (of Fifa’s visit) was a Public Relations gimmick that will not achieve any goal. FIFA has shown disrespect to Kenyan law by sharing a table with FKF officials who have refused to abide by the law,” said Nyamweya in a statement.
The Fifa entourage in Kenya was led by Fifa Director Member Association Africa Gelson Fernandes.
The delegation also met Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba.
While reinstating the FKF Secretariat in November 2022, Namwamba instructed Mwendwa to stay out of the game until he is through with his court cases touching on economic crimes.
But Mwendwa was visible in the meetings with Fifa officials.
Also, former FKF presidential aspirant Lordvick Aduda and Trans Nzoia County Football Association chairman Zachary Ndung’u have questioned why Fifa officials only met FKF and avoided stakeholders yet they supposedly were on a fact-finding mission during the visit.
“What was the reason behind FIFA sending a team to Kenya if the delegation could hold a sitting with the same person who has brought our football to its knees. We demand to know from FIFA how Nick Mwendwa ended up chairing the meeting with its delegation in Nairobi,” posed Aduda.
Fernandes told journalists his team would meet various stakeholders during their two-day visit.
Aduda suggested Fifa officials were misled into snubbing the stakeholders. He said Mwendwa’s presence at the meeting was an insult to the government, the Kenyan constitution, and the football fraternity.
“If Fifa doesn’t act on the happenings at federation, then it shows they are tolerating lawlessness,” said Aduda.
“Those who told Fifa to snub football stakeholders misadvised them and with the current leadership full of chest thumping, football will not grow,” said Aduda
Ndungu fired a warning shot to Namwamba saying that if he has gone to bed with the federation, then he should just come out and publicly declare it. He also lashed Fifa for being involved in stagnating Kenyan football.
“Kenya laws are supreme than Fifa and if they are being ignored blatantly then football will not see any development. Fifa can’t claim to be following laws in Zurich then come here and support a federation which doesn’t respect the law,” said Ndung’u.
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