Ida Odinga wants football impasse in Kenya resolved
Ida Odinga (left) poses for a photo with football administrator Twaha Mbarak in Nairobi.
What you need to know:
- Ms Odinga’s comments comes a month after Fifa suspended Kenya from all international competitions.
- “We had to suspend two of our member associations, Kenya and Zimbabwe, both for government interference in the activities of the football associations,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino at a virtual press briefing from Zurich on February 24, 2022.
Ida Odinga has called for a solution to the stand-off in the leadership of football in the country.
Ida, wife of Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga, spoke on Wednesday in Nairobi after meeting Twaha Mbarak, a veteran football administrator.
“It (was) disappointing to learn that our women national team was recently barred from competing in the qualification matches for the African Cup of Nations owing to a stand-off involving World governing body Fifa,” observed Ms Odinga in a message on her social media pages.
“I trust the relevant authorities will ensure the situation is normalized as soon as possible.”
Ida’s comments comes a month after Fifa suspended Kenya from all international competitions.
“We had to suspend two of our member associations, Kenya and Zimbabwe, both for government interference in the activities of the football associations,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino at a virtual press briefing from Zurich on February 24, 2022.
The suspension means all of Kenya’s national teams are barred from competing in all international engagements.
This decision has already affected the women national team namely Harambee Starlets, whose Africa Nations Cup qualification match versus Uganda was called off in January.
Harambee Stars will likely also miss out on the 2023 Africa Nations Cup qualifiers which begin in June as a result of Fifa’s penalty.
Besides, all Kenyan referees are also prohibited from officiating matches outside the country as a result of the ban.
The suspension was announced three months after Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed disbanded Football Kenya Federation (FKF) on allegations of financial impropriety. Fifa has termed the move illegal and called on the CS to reinstate the embattled football officials.
Days after Amina’s move, then FKF president Nick Mwendwa, who's since stepped aside from this role and replaced by his deputy Doris Petra in the interim, was twice arrested in a span of one week and charged with four counts of corruption.
Amina placed a caretaker committee, led by retired judge Justice Ringera and TV journalist Linda Oguttu, to manage football affairs in the interim.
Meanwhile, Twaha, a former FKF vice-president has announced his intent to contest for the football body’s presidency when the elections are held.
