On Thursday night, 24th February 2022, Kenya’s long-held fear of a possible suspension from international football was finally confirmed when the president of the world’s football governing body, FIFA, Gianni Infantino announced that the country had been slapped with an indefinite suspension from all international football activities due to third party interference, contrary to the statutes of the governing body.“The FIFA Council considered that the aforementioned circumstances were serious and constituted a clear case of undue interference by a third party. Therefore, on the basis of article 14 paragraphs 1 i) and 3 of the FIFA Statutes – as well as article 16 paragraph 1, under which the FIFA Council may, without a vote of the Congress, temporarily suspend with immediate effect a member association that seriously violates its obligations – the FIFA Council decided to suspend the FKF with immediate effect due to flagrant violations of the FIFA Statutes,” read the ruling signed by FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura.FIFA suspends Kenya from international footballConsequentially, the blinding developments from Zurich left a couple of implications for Kenyan football at large. This is what the suspension means;1. Kenya, through Football Kenya Federation (FKF), loses all its membership rights with immediate effect, until further notice. This means that FKF representatives and club teams are therefore no longer entitled to take part in international competitions until the suspension is lifted.The ban slapped by FIFA on Kenya means we will not be represented in any regional (CECAFA) , continental (AFCON, CHAN) or international competitions (World Cup) , including at club level (CAF CC, CAF CL). We will also not play international friendly matches. pic.twitter.com/Krx9wtpEwz— Ole Teya (@Kevin_teya) February 24, 2022 2. The indefinite suspension means the Kenya national team will not be represented in any regional (CECAFA), continental (AFCON, CHAN) or international competitions (World Cup). Additionally, Kenyan clubs will not be able to play at any continental tournaments such as the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup even if they qualify. International friendly matches are also not allowed to take place at this point.3. Neither the FKF nor any of its members or officials may benefit from any development programmes, courses or training from FIFA and/or CAF. For example, initiatives such as the CAF B Licencing course that had been brought to the country for a first time cannot be rolled out again during the time of suspension.Official: Kenya has been suspended indefinitely by world football governing FIFA due to government interference.Zimbabwe has also been handed the same ruling for the same reason.#FIFA #FKFPL pic.twitter.com/T2RzIK95sc— Ochi (@soo_ochieng) February 24, 2022 4. Kenyan players currently in the country cannot make any international move to other leagues outside. This is because the country is not recognized at all and a player must be registered to an affiliated body that is recognized to FIFA. Other stakeholders of the game such as referees cannot also officiate in international tournaments.
