• He proposed the creation of a normalisation committee to remove the differences that are rocking the Kenyan football scene.
• "I am calling on these key stakeholders — clubs, footballers, referees, coaches and former players — to come together to demand for elections,” Nyamweya said.
Image: FILE
Veteran football administrator Sam Nyamweya, has urged the government to seek direction from Fifa on how to resolve the crisis plaguing Kenyan football.
His remarks came after the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) declared the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) National Executive Committee (NEC) illegal in a ruling issued on Tuesday.
“The Sports Disputes Tribunal ruled on Tuesday evening that the National Executive Committee of the Football Kenya Federation is in office unconstitutionally,” Nyamweya said.
“Therefore, I take this opportunity to ask the government to urgently seek direction from the world football governing body, Fifa, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in bringing a solution.”
Nyamweya said the decision has left Kenya in a state of uncertainty and destroyed all the traction the country had gained in resolving the impasse between Kenya and Fifa.
He proposed the creation of a normalisation committee to remove the differences that are rocking the Kenyan football scene.
“I have always insisted that the only way out is to have a Normalisation Committee that is supported by Fifa and CAF to pave the way for new elections. The court’s decision allows us to fix things once and for all and end the problems we have had in football management for the past few years,” said Nyamweya.
“The court was clear that the government has 30 days to establish procedures and a body that will manage football in the country.”
Nyamweya urged Sports Minister Ababu Namwamba to put football matters in order.
“We find ourselves in this mess because of the bad management of the game by the government that has been handling our football. It is sad that clubs, footballers, and referees are suffering. I am calling on these key stakeholders — clubs, footballers, referees, coaches and former players — to come together to demand for elections,” Nyamweya said.
He also urged FKF to respect the ruling of the SDT and allow the process of transitioning to fresh elections to run smoothly.
In the ruling, the SDT also overturned the decision of the FKF National Executive Committee to annul the results of the 2021/2022 season.
While the SDT’s decision bodes well for clubs promoted by Transition Committee last season, it is a major setback for those that relegated and must now compete in the lower tiers.
In its decision, the SDT said that although the Transitional Committee was not valid — having exceeded the term of the Supervisory Committees under the law — the football clubs participating in the 2021/2022 season had a legitimate expectation that the leagues were being run in an orderly manner based on the declarations of the Ministry of Sports.
In light of that, SDT said it would be unfair to deprive these clubs of titles based on the illegality of the FKF Transitional Committee’s service.
Five clubs lodged a petition at the Tribunal challenging the FKF NEC’s decision to cancel the 2021/2022 seasons across all tiers.
The SDT has given the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba 30 days to come up with a solution.
This means an election should be held within 30 days as a new interim committee cannot be appointed after the dissolution of the original FKF Executive Committee.