Kenyan football officials on Thursday accused Fifa of applying double standards in its condemnation of the country as they braced for another suspension for the second time in as many years.
Fifa’s executive committee proposed on Wednesday that Kenya be suspended for failing to respect agreements to resolve recurrent problems in the country’s football association, in particular the integrity of national competitions.
It also proposed to forward the file to the disciplinary committee which would initiate disciplinary proceedings against some unnamed leading Kenya Football Federation (KFF) officials.
But KFF general secretary Dan Omino, who believes that both he and his chairperson, Alfred Sambu, were being targeted, claim they have fulfilled all recommendations set by Fifa.
”Before drastic actions are taken against a country there should be a fact-finding mission to establish what is on the ground,” said Omino.
”If you are going to take a decision about the future of football of a whole nation, you should be satisfied that indeed what is causing you to make the decision is what is actually taking place,” he said.
Fifa suspended Kenya for three months in 2004 due to government interference but the situation was reversed after the country accepted to draw up new statutes.
Omino said the problems affecting Kenyan football would continue because Fifa was applying double standards by relying on misinformation from some local football officials.
”We have people within Kenya who act in defiance of the authority and rules of the KFF and even the statutes of Fifa and yet have the support of Fifa. These problems would continue,” Omino said.
”It does not require a rocket scientist to read and understand the statutes of Fifa. There is inconsistence.” – Sapa-AFP