Senior Challenge Cup sanctioned by Caf: Musonye

Cecafa Secretary General Nicholas Musonye during a past event. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |

What you need to know:

  • Fifa has summoned Football Kenya Federation and other FAs affiliated to the 12-member Cecafa body for a hearing.

Cecafa Secretary General Nicholas Musonye has said the council did followed procedure in hosting the 2015 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup.

The veteran football administrator was reacting to a Fifa communique putting Cecafa member countries on notice for participating in a tournament - 2015 Senior Challenge Cup - in Ethiopia that the world football governing body says was not sanctioned.

Fifa has summoned Football Kenya Federation and other FAs affiliated to the 12-member Cecafa body for a hearing.

Said Musonye: “We followed the same procedure (in staging the Ethiopia tournament) as we have been doing since 1926. We spoke to CAF and got permission.” 

Former Cecafa president Leodegar Tenga, speaking in Nairobi on Friday, also maintained that the tournament was sanctioned.

“As a result of the foregoing, we hereby open disciplinary proceedings against the Football Kenya Federation. In this context we would like to inform you that the matter of the next meeting of the Fifa disciplinary committee to be held on March 15.” Audrey Cech, the deputy secretary to the Fifa Disciplinary Committee said.

Observers, however, aver that Fifa’s move is related to the upcoming Caf presidential polls.

However, a number of stakeholders, who spoke to Sunday Nation Sport off the record, believe Fifa is intimidating Cecafa members to sideline Caf President Issa Hayatou in favour of his challenger Ahmad ahead of the continental body’s general elections slated for Addis Ababa in March.

Incidentally, the sanctioning letter arrived hours before Fifa president Gianni Infantinno made a visit to Uganda Friday. Ahmad was also expected in Nairobi on Saturday evening.