What now, with Blatter gone?

I love the world of fantasy much more than I do real life. I love to bury my nose in books that take me away from everything around me.

Right now I’m journeying hand in hand with George R.R. Martin as he fills me in on all the blanks I’ve missed from the HBO hit series, Game of Thrones. There are some things that can only be portrayed on print – thoughts for example. An actor’s surly look can never really describe what he’s thinking as well as words can.

There’s nothing worse than a book that you liked being turned into a film that you hate. Fifty Shades of Grey is a good example. The movie was one of the crappiest things I’ve ever seen translated on big screen. And there have been some really bad ones.

All of John Grisham’s books have been difficult to watch on screen. Tom Clancy’s books, though, have been done justice. Crimson Tide and The Hunt for Red October come to mind.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was too intrinsic to totally capture on screen but Peter Jackson did a pretty good job. And now there’s Game of Thrones. I must say the creators of this particular series have done Martin’s books justice. But of course, his written words are unsurpassed. 

CRUSHED DREAMS

So, in light of my love of fantasy, it was interesting that events this week have played out like a novel rather than the reality we are accustomed to. There was the resignation of Sepp Blatter just a few days after he (to the dismay of many) was re-elected Fifa  President. Wait. Give me a moment. I need to process this. Blatter. Is. Gone.

You know how the South American commentators go totally wild when someone scores?  Goooooaaaaaallllll! (Then some melodic compliments about the goal scorer and back to…) Goooooaaaaaallllll!!

That’s how I felt when Blatter resigned, like the football world had scored the best goal ever - in extra time of the Galaxy World Cup! Federations in Africa and Asia are now uneasy because Blatter was their man.

They supported him and in return, he supported them. They turned blind eyes to each other’s many failings and now the chickens have come home to roost. Oh, what will they do now?

Local football has been in a sad state of affairs for years. I remember writing about St Andrew’s Turi FC (A team made up, not of members or students of the school, but of the surrounding Molo environs). The school sponsored and coached these kids, all from poor backgrounds, giving them one dream: work hard and play your way to top flight! Raise yourselves up from your circumstances! The children worked as only people with dreams can.

They believed!

WINTER IS HERE

They played every game like they were possessed, with passion, with dedication. It paid off! They qualified to play in the National Division 1 Zone B. However, they were excluded and several other teams that did not perform as well, were included. Something had certainly gone amiss.

Later, the FKF Chairman, Mr Sam Nyamweya, said that the exclusion of the team had been a mistake but because it was essentially bad luck, he would not redress the injustice. I could not believe it. Neither could those kids whose dreams he had just crushed.

Oh the frustration! Letters to Fifa went unanswered. How many other kids suffered similar injustices?

How much talent went untapped? And most importantly now that Blatter is gone, what next for Kenyan football? Will we get the change at the top that we desperately need?

Let me turn back to George R.R. Martin for a suitable quote for the FKF Chairman.

“Winter is coming.”