World football governing body Fifa has suspended Kenya and it’s neighbor Zimbabwe from all football activities. Because of government interference.
At a press conference held on Thursday 24th, president Giani Infantino confirmed the development.
“Without prejudice to any investigations by national authorities or other judicial bodies, the Fifa Council also decided to suspend the Football Kenya Federation and the Zimbabwe Football Association with immediate effect due to undue interference by a third party,” Infantino said.
Conditions
The world-governing body said it would only lift the suspension upon “receipt of confirmation from the FKF and its management, led by Vice-President Doris Petra and General Secretary Barry Otieno that the FKF and its premises are once more under their full and unconditional control.”
In a letter to the disbanded federation’s secretary-general Barry Otieno, Fifa asked the government to: “repeal of the Cabinet Secretary’s decision of 11 November 2021 appointing the caretaker committee in lieu of the elected FKF Executive Committee.”
Despite Sports Cabinet Secretary, Amina assuring Kenyans several times that the government was in touch with Fifa. And in control of all football activities, the national football women’s football team, Harambee Starlets, was barred from competing in the last round of the qualifiers for the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations against Uganda.
On January 28 last month, CAF wrote to Uganda’s football federation, Fufa, notifying them that their team had qualified for the continental football showpiece after Kenya “withdrew from the competition.”
Kenya’s suspension now means that the country will be barred from fielding any team in any competitive event outside the country. These include the men’s and women’s football teams and clubs.
Similarly, referees will be barred from international assignments while no locally-based Kenyan footballer will be allowed to complete a professional transfer during the duration of the suspension.
Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, the country’s federation was suspended by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) in November 2021 also. While the government-appointed commission disbanded Zifa, it cited some of the reasons, including alleged sexual harassment of female referees by technical staff and allegations of fraud, as the basis of their action.
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Honestly, the FKF management should pull up their socks. There would have been no need for the government to intervene if they’d acted right.