Coach Zico calls for end in destructive fight for control of Kenyan football
KCB FC head coach Zedekiah “Zico” Otieno has urged football
stakeholders to lay down their tools and work together towards ensuring the
FIFA ban on Kenya is lifted.
Kenyan football has been on a downward spiral since the world
governing body announced it was suspending the country from all international
competitions.
That followed a fierce fight for control of the game between
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa and the Ministry of
Sports led by the Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed.
The management and running of the game is currently under the
mandate of the Transition Committee formed by CS Amina after she disbanded the
FKF last year in November.
Zico has encouraged players, coaches and referees to speak
out openly on the status of the game because they are the ‘main stakeholders’.
"We are not hearing coaches talk and neither are
referees nor players talking yet these are the main stalk holders of the game,"
Zico said.
Zico recalled a scenario synonymous with what's facing Kenyan
Football now where FIFA slapped Kenya with a ban in 1996 making it impossible
for the country to host The Africa Cup of Nations then. The ban also saw Kenya
banned from participating in two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations
competitions.
"The ban at that time saw myself and other players of my
generation like Tony Lwanga and Francis Oduor 'going off' because we were
banned for two editions" adds Ciach Zico
Zico has underscored the extent of damage such a ban can have
on the development of football citing that the now ongoing FIFA ban seen Kenya
women football team fail to participate in the World Cup competition in spite
of the fact they had shown glaring evidence that they were a strong team to
reckon with.
Zico insists that its high time things that concern Kenyan
football cease from being taken lightly if they success of Kenyan Football is
anything to go by.
"We need to be really serious with what we are doing as
a country in sports and especially football."
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