NAIROBI, Kenya, March 24 – Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has given all soccer academies in the country an April 30 deadline to register with them or they will be considered to be operating illegally.
According to a statement circulated to newsrooms on Monday, the academies will go through scrutiny by a four-member committee consisting of FKF acting vice-president, Robert Asembo, technical committee chair Elly Mukolwe, former Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee and CEO Michael Esakwa, before they are cleared to conduct their duties.
Mulee owns a football academy, Liberty Sports, based in Nairobi’s Upper Hill with such institutions required to submit a detailed report on their coaching capabilities, facilities and related matter of soccer development in accordance with FKF’s code.
“This has been a sector of our development that has been neglected with individuals masquerading as football experts deceiving Kenyans into believing that they can help sharpen the enormous talent we have in the country.
“It’s a fact that some of these people have ended up conning innocent youths who are easily gullible as they seek to develop their own talents. Parents have fall victim to fraudulent schemes in the name of taking players for greener pastures within Africa and abroad,” part of the statement signed by FKF President Sam Nyamweya read.
It continued to warn that, “FKF will no longer watch this unfold because our business as custodians of football is to ensure everything is run with order and due professionalism as required by FIFA whose guidelines we subscribe to.”
A lot of players in the Kenyan Premier League were scouted from various academies in the country with some getting lucrative deals abroad.
AFC Leopards and Harambee Stars winger Paul Were, Gor Mahia duo right back Musa Mohamed and midfielder Kevin Omondi gained their training basics from Nairobi’s Fisa Academy.
Mulee’s Libery has nurtured Thika United’s Michael Olunga with others joining the top-flight from JMJ and Ligi Ndogo academies.
The National Youth Talent Academy was a victim of FKF’s backlash in 2012 when Nyamweya forced sponsors Safaricom to cancel the Sakata Ball Season 3 that was feeding the state owned institution with players following a row over management of the competition.
Sofapaka forward Enock Agwanda and Abdimalik Mohammed were among the beneficiaries of the Sakata competition.
