•He faulted the Nick Mwendwa-led administration for shifting all the attention to the national teams and international competitions when it was still evident that grassroots development was yet to entrench roots.
•Aduda attributes the unimpressive scorecards of the national teams to such misplaced priorities, insisting that player development should top the agenda of the federation.
Image: COURTESY
The local football scene has experienced stagnation in growth over the years, due to the presence of clueless people in leadership positions, a football administrator has said.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) presidential aspirant, Lodvick Aduda, said that he had identified appropriate remedial measures which he may use as a cure for all the ills currently bedevilling local football if he happens to clinch the seat in the forthcoming elections.
"We are currently having many hiccups due to a number of clueless people in the management of football," said Aduda.
Aduda says little effort has gone towards developing the game, adding that it would be appropriate for those entrusted with leadership positions to appreciate the obvious distinction between development and management.
"I believe that there is a clear difference between management and development of football. From where I sit, and I stand to be corrected, there has been no focus on the development of football which ostensibly must begin from the grassroots level."
He faulted the Nick Mwendwa-led administration for shifting all the attention to the national teams and international competitions when it was still evident that grassroots development was yet to entrench roots.
"We have had too much emphasis on the National Teams and the international competitions with lackluster performance being the end results."
Aduda attributes the unimpressive scorecards of the national teams to such misplaced priorities, insisting that player development should top the agenda of the federation.
"Football is an industry and as such we must properly develop the product (players) before we expose them through the clubs and the national teams in the international competitions."
Aduda observes that the country is still way off the mark on talent identification, adding that there is urgent need to invest heavily in a well structured and systematic program that would enable the country to tap comfortably into the existing pool of talent.
"We have been in a big rush to play to the gallery at the expense of structured and systematic talent identification, nurturing, testing before exposure."
He recommends a complete overhaul to the existing approach which he describes as erroneous, and further asserts that priority should be shifted to grassroots football development.
Aduda is convinced that the federation is having its plans all mixed up.
"Hence having an inverted football pyramid which has the National Teams at the base and grassroots football at the apex instead of the other way around. I am convinced that this is the wrong approach to a lasting football developmental culture."
He is convinced that given an opportunity to lead the federation, a concerted effort between him and like-minded stakeholders could effect the necessary changes and salvage the country from the threat it faces of slipping further down the stairs of FIFA ranking.
"I intend to work with the like-minded stakeholders to reverse this pyramid so that we can have the emphasis on grassroots football at the base of the pyramid, the leagues/competitions in the middle and the national teams at the apex of the pyramid."
Aduda decries the irritant stunted growth witnessed in women football, saying he is greatly disappointed with the current situation, especially after he worked hard to help establish the program during his time at the federation between 2008 and 2013.
"I played an integral part in jump-starting the women football during my stint at the federation in 2008-2013 and laid a foundation for the current Starlets and the women premier league, which somehow has witnessed minimal growth.
He asserts that he has what it takes to pump some zest both into the women leagues and the national team.
"It is my conviction that I have what it takes to bring back on board the understanding," adding that,
"I initiated with the Ministry of Education, Department of Sports and UNICEF for the purposes of building on the foundation to develop the women football further."
He further points out that the country's football cannot be steered in the right direction in the absence of qualified personnel.
This, he points out, was the biggest hitch hindering the desired progress."I have realised that part of the biggest hindrance to develop football is lack of human resource in terms of management as well as the technical expertise.
" What's the best way forward? "I will have a lot of emphasis on capacity building so as to develop a reservoir of trained cadre of football managers/ administrators right from the club level as well as in the respective federation structures.
"Aduda says the federation cannot work in isolation if it intends to achieve its objectives. He plans to forge a close working relationship with all the relevant authorities if elevated to the position of FKF president.
"I intend to rope in other relevant stakeholders like the County Governments as partners more so with respect to the development of infrastructure which is core to the talent development since the FA does not own Stadias."
He points out that adequate measures should be put in place for football to be manageable and affordable to local clubs, one of which is to lobby the legislature.
"Through the Ministry of Sports, I intend to have a petition to parliament to pass a waiver on duty for sports equipment so that they can be affordable as a core contingent of making the players have the right gear necessary for their development."
Aduda also weighed in on the issue of fund management which has kicked up a dust of controversy around FKF, with a section of stakeholders questioning the use of money disbursed to the federation by both the Ministry of Sports and FIFA.
"Being in the know about the working of FIFA and CAF, I will ensure that the funds disbursed shall be utilised for the very purposes as voted for by both FIFA and CAF."
Nick Mwendwa and his team recently found themselves in the eye of the storm after they were put to task by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to explain how they used the Sh244 million that was set aside to help the national team prepare for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Aduda believes that maintaining high integrity standards could also attract more corporate sponsorship deals into the country and alleviate the financial constraints slowing down the growth of our football.
"It will be important to create an atmosphere of utmost transparency in the governance so that we can attract confidence of the corporate sponsors to inject the funds while in the know that the funds will be properly utilised and fully accounted."
Local leagues and clubs participating in them have had a rough time surviving through the harsh financial times, following the unceremonious exit of the online betting firm SportPesa, after an abrasive tax policy dispute with the government.
Aduda is counting on his vast experience in football management and an impressive track record at one of the best East African soccer outfits, Gor Mahia, to help him transform the local scene.
"Having had a great opportunity to be in charge of the most successful club in the country, I have had the opportunity and experience to interact with different people in the continent and beyond."
He is optimistic that the situation can be ameliorated if he puts his wealth of knowledge to practice.
"I know exactly what is needed to have our clubs grow, hence creating vibrant leagues and with competitive leagues we will ultimately have very strong National Teams, that is, U15, U17, U20, U23 and the Senior Teams for both men and women," he says.
Aduda says his record at 18-time Kenyan champions speaks volumes about his leadership skills after the club won three league titles in a row, and reached the Caf Confederation Cup quarter-finals, all under his care.
“Gor is where it is today because of teamwork and cooperation between myself and other officials. This is a great achievement and it will replicated from the top-tier league to bottom when I take over,” he said.
Concerning the protracted wrangles pitting the federation against the Kenyan Premier League (KPL), Aduda says that the bone of contention has always been accountability.
Although, clubs part with huge amounts in facilitating player registration, Aduda wonders what happens to all the revenue raised.
“Right from the day we founded KPL, the accountability has always been a big challenge. Clubs were paying participation and registration fees. Registering one new player required one to pay Sh7,000. The clubs kept asking where all this money kept going because at some point even referees were not being paid.”
Aduda is among the officials who have expressed interest to oust Nick Mwendwa as FKF president in the forthcoming elections.
Others include former FKF President Sam Nyamweya, who officially declared his interest last month, former AFC Leopards chairman Alex Ole Magelo, ex-Vihiga County Governor Moses Akaranga and former FKF NEC member Twaha Mbarak.