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Football

Kenya kicked into exile by FIFA


NAIROBI, Kenya -- Kenya have been handed an indefinite suspension from international competition by football's world governing body FIFA, officials announced on Wednesday.

The ban comes four days before a World Cup qualifier with Guinea and follows the government's refusal to reinstate the Kenyan Federation (KFF), which it dissolved in March.

The decision, taken by FIFA's Emergency Committee after the expiry of a June 1 deadline, was announced by its General Secretary Urs Linsi.

Government officials dissolved the KFF over claims of corruption and replaced it with an interim Stakeholders Transition Committee, ahead of new elections which have yet to be held.

Despite the sanction Kenyan sports minister Najib Balala insisted he would stick to his timetable of restoring order to the sport, even though FIFA rejects all government intervention in KFF affairs.

"It is a sad day for Kenya," a fuming Balala told a press conference here, blaming FIFA and the suspended KFF officials for colluding to destroy the game in the country.

"The KFF and FIFA are jointly to blame. They are not helping football in this country. There is no justification in taking this decision when they have blatantly refused to listen to our part of the story," he said.

"They have openly sided with the suspended officials who have vested interests above their country. These are the same people who have lobbied against their motherland to be banned," he added.

While FIFA has called for three party talks to resolve the crisis, Balala said, he had instructed the transitional committee to fastrack on the transformation process before fresh elections are held at the end of June.

He said he had instructed the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) unit to arrest and prosecute the suspended officials for their role in the mismanagement of football in the country.


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