It's time for Football Kenya Federation officials to pack and go
Harambee Stars coach Bobby Williamson reacts during a past friendly match. PHOTO | FILE |
What you need to know:
- ‘Bobby Williamson has had his hands tied in naming his squad due to his employers consistently letting him down by not organising tickets for the foreign-based players... as long as the current administration remains in charge, nothing will change’
It was hugely disappointing to see the reactions of local football fans when Harambee Stars beat Mauritius during the week in their World Cup preliminary qualifier.
It wasn’t that they were booing the team, in fact the opposite! The fans were delirious because Stars have had such a wretched run of late that we’ll take anything, even if it’s a thrashing of an island nation of 1.2 million people.
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has singlehandedly dragged the sport to the ‘gutter internationally’ without any shame. Once again the build-up to this match was chaotic with air-tickets not being sent to foreign-based players. This is an issue that always appears like a bad smell before international matches, with the FKF falsely promising players that they’ll refund them if they purchase the tickets. From Dennis Oliech to Arnold Origi, the list is long of players complaining of not being refunded, and frankly this is a national disgrace.
Head coach Bobby Williamson has had his hands tied in naming his squad due to his employers consistently letting him down by not organising tickets for the foreign-based players, and I for one am fed up of the shenanigans at the FKF.
The elections are just around the corner and I am going to openly say that it’s time for the current crop of officials to pack up and leave. The public and stakeholders have had enough of the arrogance and incompetence of the present Federation; if Fifa can be shaken up, so can the FKF.
The list of what’s wrong with the running of football is long and undistinguished, with no end in site to the myriad of problems dogging this once proud sport. The truth is as long as the current administration remains in charge nothing will change, and we the public will continue to witness the same mistakes being made again and again.
However, expect a lot of dirty tricks during the forthcoming elections, with reports of ‘ghost clubs’ participating in the polls to ‘help’ the incumbents remain in power, with ‘politically friendly’ clubs missing from the list. Unfortunately whilst the problems continue, from hooliganism to players not being refunded for paying for their tickets for national duty, than the country loses as a whole due to the selfishness of a few individuals.
SPEED KINGS RETURN
Sunday will witness extreme speed as Superbike racing returns at Kiganjo, off Exit 13 on the Thika Super Highway.
Organised by The Superbike Association (TSA), ‘The Battle At 12’ gets underway in the morning with qualifying (the gates open to the public from 9am), followed by racing in the afternoon. I’ll be the emcee at the event that promises a family atmosphere, with no alcohol being sold at the venue as the TSA promotes responsible riding and driving.
Registered in 2009, TSA was set up as a bikers’ body that not only brings enthusiasts together, but also promotes the development and implementation of motorcycle safety. In 2010 the association reached out to boda boda operators in Nairobi, Kiambu and Narok counties through self-organised road safety campaigns. They have since involved over 200 operators and hope to embark on an annual countrywide campaign.
2013 was a milestone year on the track with the formation of the Super Bike Trophy. Their initial intention was to have at least one race per year, but the fan base demanded more events hence the inception of The Superbike Championship. This is the fastest growing family motor event in the country with spectator participation soaring to over 5,000 at the race in Tatu City.
The Superbike Championship (SBC) is a race event designed for on-road sports motorcycles, better known as superbikes. It is the first of its kind in East and Central Africa and has attracted thousands of spectators in the past year. The race attracts racers in three categories: 600cc, 750cc and 1,000cc.
As part of safety precautions, all racing tracks are secured by having the roads closed, and TSA has more than 150 marshals managing crowd control and safety.
Back to tomorrow’s event and there will be a new category to encourage new bikers. The smallest entry will be 180cc and there will also be a 250cc on the start-line.
Make sure you get to Kiganjo early, as the crowds will definitely make their way there in force for this rapidly growing form of Kenyan motorsport.
MIXED SIGNALS FOR SAFARI 7s
It was depressing to see such low attendances at last weekend’s Safari Sevens at Kasarani, as the fans decided to stay away for a number of factors.
The fact that the Rugby World Cup was clashing with the tournament, and people could watch the Safari Sevens on both television and computer, didn’t help matters as the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) continues to grapple with how to persuade spectators to trek to Kasarani to watch the flagship sevens tournament.
Credit must go to the Union for getting such a high quality set of teams assembled in a matter of weeks, as just a month prior it was not even known if the tournament would go ahead due to a lack of sponsorship. However thanks to Safaricom and a number of well-wishers the tournament got the okay, along with a vote of confidence from World Rugby.
However reports of a board member ‘sabotaging’ ticket sales by allegedly calling outlets and asking them to not sell tickets will be ‘egg on the face’ in an already beleaguered Union, and this will lead to more calls for an overhaul of the Ngong Road outfit if proven right.
On the pitch there’s no doubt that Kenya has an abundance of talent, and judging by their performances for various teams, including eventual winners Samurais and Newcastle Wailers, along with the national teams Shujaa and Morans, proved that the country should qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics.
However the shambolic running of the main national sevens team is threatening to undo the talent. The fact that Benjamin Ayimba is working without a contract and doesn’t know how long he is going to continue in his job speaks volumes about the politics between the board members.
There is also the issue of the South Africa ex-technical bench members Graham Bentz and Vuyo Zangqa, who’ve taken the Union to court over the termination of their contracts.
This is an elephant in the room that the KRU needs to sort out before it becomes an international embarrassment. Kenya does not want to be known as the country international coaches avoid. As it is the turnover of coaches is too high and that needs to be arrested.
