NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5- Football Kenya Federation has announced that the country has withdrawn its team from the 2018 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers with the first round match against Ethiopia having been scheduled for October 13 in Addis Ababa.
In a statement, FKF Chief Executive Officer Robert Muthomi says the federation has already informed FIFA and CAF of its decision due to the proximity of the qualifiers to the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
“Following consultations with the schools and Ministry of Education officials, we have decided to withdraw our participation to allow players ample time to prepare and sit for their exams, which we also find crucial for their development,” Muthomi is quoted on the official communiqué from the federation.
They felt that the country would not be able to raise a team that would sufficiently prepare for the tournament and at the same time give the same amount of attention to their final secondary school examinations.
Last year, prolific forward Mwanahalima Adam missed the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) due to the final Form Four examinations.
Ethiopia has now earned a free ticket to the second round of qualification where they will play Nigeria. A total of 9 teams now remain to contend for slots in the second qualification round.
The federation will meanwhile put all its energies towards the Under-20 women’s team which has qualified for the second round of qualification.
Their first tie will be away to Ghana’s junior Black Queens on November 3 in Kumasi before playing the return leg a fortnight later in Machakos.