We must all play a part in making football great again

The African Cup of Nations is raging. It gives us the jitters and important lessons. This is how sane nations learn.

This is how we make the future better for ourselves. We cannot envisage the nursing profession as it is today, without going back to the past and remembering Florence Nightingale.

It was some well documented beginning for a new profession that has saved just too many lives.

If those that witnessed what she did had just left it hanging and dissolved back to the past, no progress would have been achieved. Only a fool can dispute that and with no point except folly.

We are moving forward in Africa now and even though Kenya is not in this competition due to the simple issue of organisation; nothing else but poor organisation!

The enthusiasm we have witnessed is over the matches with our countrymen tells us a lot.

We are unhappy. This country used to make it to the Africa Cup of Nations even at the time when it was a small competition, which had only eight teams from the whole continent!

Yes, we are in dire straits and we all know it. We are even starved by this continent and we have even in refereeing just two people. We are glad about that and we still must applaud the feat.

Sitting in some dingy bar with football enthusiasts, watching the Zimbabwe versus Guinea game in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde.

Zimbabwe beat Guinea 2-1 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium. We were all supporting Zimbabwe and I still do not know why! History slapped us in the face when we saw for the first time an all-female refereed match in the Africa Cup of Nations!

This came after everyone including yours truly we embroiled in arguments over the Zambian referee’s glaring and annoying blunders during the Tunisia versus Mali match.

It was astonishing even to seasoned football lovers like us. The whole world watched it! We can do better than that.

The ladies did a very good job. The Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga and her team; Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon) and Faiha Jermoumi (Morocco) including Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Morocco’s Boucha Karboubi must be applauded for the job they did.

We must boldly state that the match was seamless, well-choreographed and there were no qualms over the officiating.

The onus is upon us and the Football Kenya Federation and even the Caretaker Committee appointed to oversee football in this country to take note of this issue.

When they pretend to promote and build Kenyan football, they cannot invent anything new if they forget about developing new match officials; referees and all their ilk are part of football and cannot be wished away by any Tom, Dick or Harry. It must be done and in a structured manner.

The Caf Head of Referees Eddy Maillet summed up the issue in the best manner possible:

“We are super proud of Salima because she has had to work exceptionally hard to be where she is today, We know that for a woman, she has had to overcome serious obstacles to reach this level and she deserves a lot of credit. This moment is not just for Salima, but for every young girl in Africa who has a passion for football and who sees herself as a referee in the future.”

That 'young girl part' should read Kenya for us!