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Citizen Weekly

Monday 16 February 2015

Fifa letter that shocked Wario


The ongoing squabbles in the management of soccer between Football Kenya Federation and Kenya Premier League officials took a new twist last week after Fifa deputy secretary general Markus Kattner wrote to KPL chief executive Jack Oguda detailing resolutions of Fifa over the impasse.
Fifa in a strongly worded letter dated February 12 2015 wrote: “We also take this opportunity to inform you that FKF must organise and supervise football in all its forms at national level as provided for under Article 10 paragraph 1 of the Fifa Statutes. Any violations of these above obligations may lead to sanctions as provided under Article 13 Paragraph 2 of the Fifa Statutes”.
In another letter by Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke dated February 11 2015 and addressed to FKF president Sam Nyamweya, it reads in part: “We remind you that the role of FKF is to organise and supervise football in all its forms at national level, as well as to control association football in the territory of Kenya. We trust that FKF is able to find a local solution that is acceptable to all relevant stakeholders and in the best interest of Kenyan football”.
On whether the league should have 16 or 18 teams, Fifa wrote: “Whether KPL should have 16 or 18 participating clubs; we would like to remind you that this matter is now for FKF to resolve on its own with relevant stakeholders in Kenya”.
It is the two letters that forced the Sports cabinet secretary Hassan Wario to call for an urgent meeting of FKF and KPL officials on Monday this week to find a solution to the impasse surrounding the composition of the league. According to Wario, the basis of the meeting will be the Fifa technical report which called for a 16 team league. Nyamweya was last week quoted: “We have been in communication with Fifa. We are the custodians of Kenyan football so we have the blessing of CAF and Fifa”.
We have information that Wario is out to stage a coup in local soccer by fronting Hussein Mohammed the man Nyamweya defeated in the last polls. The CS was the chief guest at X-treme tournament event launch which is associated with Hussein. That Wario is close to Hussein is the talk within the sports fraternity. During the Kenya at 50, Hussein’s firm was controversially awarded the publicity and marketing duties. He is said to have been paid millions and the matter is to be raised on the floor of parliamentary.
Wario is one of the underperforming cabinet secretaries according to surveys. He is at war with officials of Athletics Kenya, Ruggy Union and FKF whom he has openly ridiculed in public. Already, the sports committee in parliament has summoned him and is accused him of being behind the sports feuds by siding with one of the warring camps hence partisan. As a result, no solution can be found. A section of those invited by Wario were planning to boycott the talks. Others had even invited their branch officials across the country to be present at the talks with Wario as their constitutions stipulate.
We have information that soccer lovers are set to move to court and stop KPL from running a parallel league on grounds that the mandate is given to FKF.

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