Fifa orders FKF to release report

World football governing body Fifa has ordered Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to immediately release a report compiled by an expert on the structure and composition of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

A delegation led by Fifa Development Officer for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ashford Mamelodi, held separate meetings with FKF and KPL officials on the number of clubs for the 2015 season following a stalemate between the two bodies.

FKF is pushing for an expanded 18-team league while KPL prefers 16 teams. The Fifa expert handed his report to FKF who have however “rejected it in whole”.

“The National Executive Committee has in clear terms noted with deep concern that the consultant ventured in areas and scope beyond his mandate. In view of this, the NEC rejects the report in whole,” FKF said in a statement yesterday. FKF risks incurring Fifa’s wrath following revelations the local body may have gone against the “terms of engagement”.

In a letter to FKF, Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke says he is “surprised” to learn that the local FA was not “acting in good faith” by withholding crucial correspondence from other parties, contrary to a directive from the world football governing body.

EXPERT CONSULTANT

In the letter dated January 23, 2015, Valcke says: “Following a request by FKF and KPL on 19 December 2014, Fifa agreed, in good faith, to make available an independent expert consultant.... who was sent (to Nairobi) on January 12-14 to meet all concerned parties and later sent a report including recommendations sent to your office on January 20, 2015, with request to to disseminate the report to all the concerned parties.

“In view of the above, we kindly inform you of our expectation that FKF will make available the independent expert consultants report immediately available to all concerned parties and without further delay.” Further rounds of talks between representatives from FKF and KPL, alongside a meeting involving the FA’s National Executive Committee are planned in the next few days with view to discussing the “recommendations” and arriving at a common ground.

FKF boss Sam Nyamweya had earlier on Monday sought to calm tensions, saying the federation and KPL will arrive at an “amicable solution”. “I want to give you (stakeholders) an assurance that we will reach an amicable settlement,” Nyamweya said. “It (Fifa report) is a good report. It shows where we are, where we are going and what we need to do.”