NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 8 – Kenya will not have representatives in this season’s Champions League and Confederation Cup tournaments after CAF released the final list of teams to enter Tuesday’s inter club draw.
By virtue of clinching the FKF Premier League title last season, Tusker FC would have represented Kenya in Tuesday’s draw, but they have been excluded.
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Caretaker Committee did not organize the FKF Cup whose winner would have played in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The country will also not have a representative in the Women’s Champions League after local champions Vihiga Queens were omitted from the regional qualifiers which start next week.
Kenya remains suspended by world football governing body FIFA due to government interference after Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed disbanded the Football Kenya Federation last November.
“It is the players who suffer most in such situations like the one we have found ourselves in, as through no fault of their own making, opportunities they have worked so hard to earn on the field of play are yanked away from them,” a statement from Vihiga Queens posted on their socials said.
It added; “Our prayer is that what we are going through now does not affect any other club from this region in the future.”
The country was slapped with suspension in February after CS Amina installed a caretaker committee to run the game in the country and she has played hard ball on any engagements with world governing body FIFA to try unlock the stalemate.
After the Caretaker Committee’s tenure ended, she went on to install a Transition Committee that has its mandate running for two months dating back to June 17.
There has been no word yet on whether a discussion with FIFA or CAF is ongoing over the ban, with the national teams also affected. Harambee Starlets failed to play their last Women’s AFCON qualifier against Uganda while the men’s team was not entered for the draw of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and were omitted from qualification matches for the 2023 AFCON.
