FKF Management Committee hatch plan to run top league

Football Kenya Federation Management Committee Friday made a bold step in their quest to take over the management of football in the country.

The FKF Management Committee has invited all topflight league clubs for a meeting on July 16 at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani where an independent body to run the league will be formed.

In a letter copied to the 18 FKF-PL clubs, FKF Management Committee chairman Robert Macharia says they will also release the new 2022/23 season fixtures and give an update on talks with a new sponsor for the league.

Other agendas include a general update on football crisis in Kenya, update on the progress of amending FKF constitution as per FKF SGM held on June 11 and implications of Tusker not participating in the Caf/Fifa organised competitions.

The decision by the 13-member committee to directly engage the clubs is viewed as a ploy to take over the management of the game which has been under FKF Caretaker and Transition Committees since the government disbanded the Nick Mwendwa-led federation in November last year.

“The issues on the agenda are broad and lay ground for the new season and also unlocking the ban,” said FKF Nairobi East Branch Chairman Amos Otieno who is also the Vice chairman of the FKF Management Committee.

However, FKF Transition Committee Major Retired General Maurice Oyugi warned clubs against engaging the FKF Management Committee adding that they have no mandate whatsoever to call for such a meeting.

“We were with them and even attended their SGM but they are people with vested interest who are hell bent on creating confusion. They should be ignored and even the clubs they are purporting to hold a meeting will not agree with them,” said Oyugi.

“The government is already making steps in engaging Fifa and at the opportune time we will reveal the progress. That is why the FKF management committee should be ignored,” he added.

A number of club chairman confirmed having received the FKF Managing Committee's letter but remain coy about attending the July 16 meeting.

“As much as this committee has genuine concern and wants to take over the management of football, they should involve the FKF Transition Committee. Do you expect Gor or AFC Leopards who have benefited from the government to oppose the Transition Committee?” posed one club chairman in an interview with Nation Sport.

“I support the committee but I don’t want to be mentioned as one who is behind this initiative which is being fronted. Stakeholders meetings are not bad and the agenda is worthy to be discussed because they are good but I fear I will be judged as one who is opposing the (Sports) CS. I don’t want things to head that way,” said another chairman.

Veteran football administrator Lordvick Aduda said the big issue is to work towards lifting the suspension. He said the management committee is an amorphous body since it is neither recognised by Fifa or the government and lacks the legal basis to operate.

"We all need to agree we are in a mess and put our heads together to fix this mess before the start of the next season. The Management Committee has no mandate to even open a bank account. What is the legal mandate they will use to sign sponsorship deals with corporates as they purport?" posed Aduda.

He called for sobriety saying the only way to unlock the suspension impasse by Fifa is for government and football stakeholders to agree on the way forward and the international football governing body to ease its stand on Kenya.