Pressure has continued to mount on Football Kenya Federation (FKF) from interfering with Harambee Starlet’s quest to qualify for the next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
FKF informed Confederation of African Football (CAF) that it is unable to organize any more national team matches because of sanctions imposed by the government. As a result, CAF has withdrawn the team from the last qualifier against Uganda.
The Kenyan national women’s team had already reached the second and final round of qualifying for the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations – which also serves as the qualifying competition for the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
FKF’s move has however been met with fury and anger from football fans and organizations, terming it ‘selfish and unpatriotic”.
Kenya Footballers Welfare Association (KEFWA), a players union whose mandate is to advocate for players rights and welfare for both men and women in Kenya, has joined the convoy of entities urging FIFA to give the Starlets a chance to fulfill their qualification dream, stating that players do not face the “devastating consequences” of a situation that has nothing to do with them.
“The dream of every footballer is to play in a World Cup and for this opportunity to be taken away from these players without any effort to reach a solution is heartbreaking,” said the KEFWA Secretary-General, Jerry Santo in a press statement seen by WakajuanessLive.Com.
KEFWA Press Statement on Harambee Starlets.@FIFPRO @FIFAcom @CAF_Online @moscakenya @AMB_A_Mohammed @FKFcaretaker @citizentvkenya @ntvkenya @KTNNewsKE @Tuko_co_ke @K24Tv @Kenyans @TV4 @Reuters @BBCSport @SkySports @FIFProAfrica @kefwaofficial @fkfcc_women#HarambeeStarlets pic.twitter.com/mBD5Wb8LSQ
— KEFWA (@kefwaofficial) February 3, 2022
‘This happens as the Kenyan players continue to train in Nairobi in the hope that they might still be able to play the two-match qualifier, which is scheduled between 17th to 23rd February, 2022. Notably, we are in contact with the players and offering support.”
Sports Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohamed is optimistic Harambee Starlets will feature in the African Women’s Cup of Nations double-header match against Uganda.
“We have a conversation that is ongoing. We are hoping that soon rather than later the confirmation will be made. The girls are being prepared and they will continue with their training,” said Amina as quoted by The Star,