Kenya's soccer chiefs defiant over looming FIFA ban

Kenya's soccer chiefs remained defiant on Thursday, vowing not to allow a company to run the country's premier league even as the nation braced for another FIFA suspension for the second time in as many years.

Kenya Football Federation (KFF) Chairman Alfred Sambu told journalists in Nairobi that he would not allow the Kenya Premier League (KPL) Company to run the league as this would be a violation of the KFF constitution.

"If they want to punish me for upholding the KFF constitution, let them do so. But I will never allow it to happen," Sambu told reporters in Nairobi.

The east African soccer chiefs accused the world's football governing body of applying double standards in its condemnation of the country.

FIFA's Executive Committee proposed on Wednesday that Kenya be suspended for failing to respect agreements to resolve recurrent problems in the country's football association, in particular the integrity of national competitions.

It also proposed to forward the file to the Disciplinary Committee which would initiate disciplinary proceedings against some unnamed leading KFF officials.

The announcement follows a meeting held in Zurich where the committee proposed the suspension of the KFF for failing to respect a 28-point agreement signed with FIFA in January.

The committee proposed to FIFA's Emergency Committee that the KFF be suspended for ignoring the signed agreement as well as the recurrent problems in the association.

The world soccer body also singled out Sambu and KFF Secretary-General Dan Omino for disciplinary action, accusing them of allegedly standing in the way of implementation of agreements between it and the local federation.

But Sambu said the KPL's constitution competes with the KFF and unless this changes, the company cannot be allowed to run the league.

"As the chairman of the KFF, my duty is to protect its constitution and I am going to do that even if it causes me a ban, " he said.

On the composition of the league where KFF also differs with FIFA, Sambu said it was not his duty to decide the number of clubs that take part in competitions.

Sambu said clubs under the KFF-PL Company decided on 20 clubs and wonders why FIFA wants to ban him for endorsing what the teams agreed on. He said it was not FIFA's duty to decide which teams should take part in the league.

"I am waiting for their letter regarding the recommendation of the Associations Committee before we decide on the next course of action," he said.

Omino said it was unfair for FIFA to target him for sanctions, saying he was only an employee of the federation.

"I don't make decisions and cannot stand in the way of any of them. My work is just to implement what the executive has decided, " he said.

"Before drastic actions are taken against a country there should be a fact-finding mission to establish what is on the ground," said Omino.

"If you are going to take a decision about the future of football of a whole nation, you should be satisfied that indeed what is causing you to make the decision is what is actually taking place," he said.

FIFA suspended Kenya for three months in 2004 due to government interference but the situation was reversed after the country accepted to draw up new statutes.

Omino said the problems affecting Kenyan football would continue because FIFA was applying double standards by relying on misinformation from some local football officials.

"We have people within Kenya who act in defiance of the authority and rules of the KFF and even the statutes of FIFA and yet have the support of FIFA. These problems would continue," Omino said.

The world's soccer governing body last month gave Kenya an Oct. 18 deadline to sort out several issues agreed upon in Cairo in March that included proper running of the premier league. The 21-day ultimatum ban expired on Wednesday.

One of the key recommendations by FIFA is that KFF de-register KFF-PL and make the name available for clubs to use.

The Kenyan football has been torn apart by the political infighting which has seen the emergence of two factions fighting for control of the premier league.

Bickering is also tearing apart the KFF and the national side, Harambee Stars, which used to be a symbol of unity, over the running of the team.

Last month the Kenyan government gave one of the two rival bodies an ultimatum to dissolve voluntarily or be forced to deregister.

The government did not say which of the two bodies should close down but observers said it would be KPL.

Kenya had threatened with suspension from all football activity at FIFA's annual congress in Marrakesh last year because of government interference in the running of the sport.

The public mood in Kenya seems to support a ban with various newspaper editorials, soccer fans and the public indicating that the ban will allow the industry to re-invent itself with a new approach to football management.

Source: Xinhua