Posta Rangers' assistant captain, Suleiman Ousman has asked Kenyan players to help get rid of match-fixing in football by maintaining high standards of integrity.
Ousman said doing so will help propel the growth of the sport in the country. The defender was among Posta Rangers' players and officials who assembled for an integrity training workshop on Thursday.
The national football governing body, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) KF has rolled out a program to sensitize Kenyan top-flight clubs on the detriment of match-fixing ahead of the new Kenyan Premier League season tentatively set to begin on November 9.
“Despite financial constraints that we are currently facing as players in football, we should strive to uphold our moral compass and desist from match-fixing of our games, to have a clean, good and competitive game that in the long run will help attract sponsors to the football,” Ousman said.
FKF integrity officer Mike Kamure briefed the participants on various topics including match-fixing, why it is important to protect the integrity of football, and how to identify, challenge and report suspicious incidents.
Participants were also taught how to use the Fifa portal, the FKF Integrity Portal, and the FKF Integrity Hotline number to report suspected cases of match-fixing.
FKF have previously held sessions with Bandari, Kariobangi Sharks, Tusker Ulinzi, and KCB. Gor Mahia and Kenya Police are scheduled to have a session next Saturday and Monday respectively.
FKF Premier League club chairmen and CEOs, ongoing CAF 'C' coaching course participants, and FKF county women representatives have also completed the integrity course.
Speaking during a previous workshop, Kamura said the actions of football stakeholders are important in strengthening the image of the country.
"The issue of planning results has existed for a long time. It involves players, referees, coaches, and even fans. With the increase in gambling, criminals have found a new hive where they convince the relevant officials to change the outcome of the game in their favour. This is a serious offense and is punishable by law,” Kamura said.
On May 25 last year, the world football governing body, Fifa, expelled Zoo from the topflight league over match-fixing. In a strong statement signed by the chairman of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee, Alejandro Piera ordered FKF to relegate Zoo to the lower tier.
“The Fifa Disciplinary Committee finds the club Zoo FC responsible for activities related to manipulation of football matches and competitions. The club Zoo is hereby expelled from the Kenyan Premier League season 2020/2021 as of the date of notification of the present decision," the letter read in part.
“The Fifa Disciplinary Committee hereby orders relegation of the first team of the club Zoo FC to the FKF Division One for the next season."
