By Dorcas Sarkozy
Sam Nyamweya, the FKF Supremo has presided over a corrupt, inept and incompetent body. He started on a wrong footing. Sidelining his then deputy Sam Shollei and Nairobi representative Dan Shikanda who questioned his style, competence and integrity. He wanted to surround himself with yes men and henchmen.
Since he became Chairman, our National team Harambee Stars has been dropping in FIFA rankings at an alarming rate, being eclipsed by our neighbours Uganda and small countries like Rwanda.
So dire is the football situation in our country that, coaches cannot be paid their salaries in time, players allowances are always delayed until they boycott training or opt for a sit in. Professional footballers like Victor Mugubi Wanyama, Ayub Timbe and Arnold Origi are never refunded their ticket money.
For a National team to perform well, players must be motivated. They must be assembled in camp early enough before any major international assignment for them to gel and bond.
But they are hurriedly assembled one or two days to match day leaving the coach with inadequate time to craft a winning line up. Players are routinely kicked out at Safaricom Kasarani Stadium and detained in hotels for non payment of lodging fees.
While foreign teams touch down on our soil four or five days before kick off, giving them ample time to acclimatize and familiarise themselves with our pitches, our National team leaves a few hours to kick off time. No wonder we have become the whipping boys of Africa and even regional football. Our team could not leave Wilson Airport for Cape Verde because the owners of the chartered plane insisted on being paid upfront. The boys spent the whole day at the Airport. Where was Nyamweya?
It took the intervention of the president for the team to fly out. This means that if he had not stepped in, the boys would not have travelled, giving our opponents a walkover.
This is an unacceptable abdication of duty. For the president to step in while there are officials tasked with handling football matters as well as a substantive cabinet secretary, is giving him unwarranted political mileage.
Sam Nyamweya was in the list of shame compiled by the Ethics and Anti corruption Commission (EACC). This speaks volumes about his integrity. The man is embroiled in endless wars with KPL and the branches over football administration. He is interfering with the work of Football Kenya Electoral Board with the intention of rigging the forthcoming elections. He is requesting members to pay their nomination fees to the federation account contrary to the boards recent directive.
The country is missing the days of Matiba, Peter Kenneth and the late Joab Omino, the late 70’s and early 80’s. That was the pinnacle of Kenyan football. These were people with the game at heart. They ran the federation professionally.
For sanity to be restored in Kenyan football, Nyamweya must go!
For Kenya to reclaim its lost glory in matters football, Nyamweya must go!
For our youth to nurture and grow their football careers, Nyamweya must go!
For our footballers to enjoy the fruits of their talent and hard work, Nyamweya must go!
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