NAIROBI, April 28 –Tuesday’s ruling by the ruling by the Court of Arbitration (CAS) in regard to who should manage football in the country was met with a huge sigh of relief by football stakeholders.CAS ruled that Football Kenya Limited (FKL) is the body legally in custody of the sport and hopefully this will be the start of a long road to recovery of football management in this country.
For the better part of the last decade, local football officials have engaged in a vicious tug of war over who was in charge of the game.
From the days of the Inter Club Consultative Group to FKL versus KFF, it’s been a long drawn arduous and frankly tiresome battle. The battle went a notch higher in 2008 December when FKL was formed.
On the red corner has been Mohammed Hatimy with his FKL cahoots who enjoy Fifa backing while in the blue corner has been Sam Nyamweya who claimed to enjoy government backing.
Thankfully CAS has sorted it out and the country can now concentrate moving forward. Politicking has to stop and replaced by actual effort.
Despite toasting its win, FKL must start awaken to the realization that hard work lies ahead.
Last week’s meeting with Kenya Premier League officials was a step in the right direction but the football body must put itself about.
KPL is a shining beacon among all the dross that is Kenyan football and its understandable that FKL want to be part of it, but their scope is way much bigger.
That Kenya is ranked 114th in the world is the perfect exhibit of how much work needs to be done.
Our under 17 team lost to Somalia-yes a country that cannot play its home matches at home is another lucid indicator of how lowly Kenya has fallen.
FKL must there fore set about repairing football structures in Kenya. Youth programmes, women football, referee courses, coaches’ clinics and other administrative work must be revived in the earnest.
FKL must make itself relevant again. And to do so, it must work its socks off. It must earn the trust, respect and faith of Kenyans and the only way to do so is by working hard on its proposed duties.
A functional secretariat would be a good place to start.
Over to you Hatimy, Kasuve et al.
