Coach Zico calls for end in destructive fight for control of Kenyan football

KCB FC head coach Zedekiah “Zico” Otieno has urged football stakeholders to lay down their tools and work together towards ensuring the FIFA ban on Kenya is lifted.

Kenyan football has been on a downward spiral since the world governing body announced it was suspending the country from all international competitions.

That followed a fierce fight for control of the game between Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa and the Ministry of Sports led by the Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed.

The management and running of the game is currently under the mandate of the Transition Committee formed by CS Amina after she disbanded the FKF last year in November.

Zico has encouraged players, coaches and referees to speak out openly on the status of the game because they are the ‘main stakeholders’.

"We are not hearing coaches talk and neither are referees nor players talking yet these are the main stalk holders of the game," Zico said.

Zico recalled a scenario synonymous with what's facing Kenyan Football now where FIFA slapped Kenya with a ban in 1996 making it impossible for the country to host The Africa Cup of Nations then. The ban also saw Kenya banned from participating in two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations competitions.

"The ban at that time saw myself and other players of my generation like Tony Lwanga and Francis Oduor 'going off' because we were banned for two editions" adds Ciach Zico

Zico has underscored the extent of damage such a ban can have on the development of football citing that the now ongoing FIFA ban seen Kenya women football team fail to participate in the World Cup competition in spite of the fact they had shown glaring evidence that they were a strong team to reckon with.

Zico insists that its high time things that concern Kenyan football cease from being taken lightly if they success of Kenyan Football is anything to go by.

"We need to be really serious with what we are doing as a country in sports and especially football."