NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is set to send a delegation to the cpountry to visit the family of former Football Kenya Federation Lower Eastern branch chairman Hussein Swaleh who died on Sunday in the Ethiopian Airline plane crash.
Swaleh who was a CAF match commissioner was returning to the country after serving in the same capacity during last Friday’s CAF Champions League tie pitting home side Ismaily and DR Congo side TP Mazembe in Alexandria, Egypt.
“President Ahmad was among the first people to call me on Sunday and express his condolences. He will be sending a delegation led by former CECAFA president Tenga (Leodagar) to visit and grieve with the family,” FKF boss Nick Mwendwa told Capital Sport.
Meanwhile, CAF has announced that a minute silence will be observed before all Champions League and Confederations Cup matches this weekend to mourn Swaleh and the rest of the 156 souls which perished during the unfortunate morning crush on Sunday.
@CAF_Online will organize a moment of silence before kick-off in all matches of Day 6 of #TotalCAFCL in memory of the victims of the Ethiopian Ailrines plane crash including Mr. Hussein Swaleh M’tetu. pic.twitter.com/0XVrXouPe1
— CAF (@CAF_Online) March 12, 2019
Swaleh was the Secretary General of the Federation when Kenya last played in the Cup of Nations in 2004 and after being elected to chair the Lower Eastern branch, FKF forwarded his name to CAF as a match commissioner last year and was to serve till 2020.
“We have lost a good servant of the game. I was with Swaleh last three weeks ago at the Qatar embassy where we were meeting with the embassy officials on plans around the 2022 World Cup. He has been with us for the last three years and supported every agenda we have put on the table,” Mwendwa said.
“He has been a friend and a strong guy who doesn’t keep quiet with opinion but has supported us all through now into the fourth year. This is a bvig loss to football and as a federation we are putting our heads together to know how we are going to help the family,”
“I have been in communication with them every day and now we await for the issues around the body to know what next,” Mwendwa further stated.