Newly-elected FKF president Hussein Mohammed is committed to fulfilling several promises after he was declared the winner in the Football Kenya Federation elections held last Saturday at the Kasarani Indoor Arena. Among the issues he pledged to tackle and kick out of local competitions was match fixing, which reportedly, has been on the rise in the past years. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8555165##Cases of players, referees, and administrators pre-determining the outcome of matches, for financial gains, have been reported before with the latest one being the suspension of a Posta Rangers goalkeeper. The vice appears to be deeply rooted in local leagues, as the suspension and arrest of suspected fixers have done little to scare those eager to make quick money at the expense of the integrity of the game. Posta Rangers coach details strides made since suspending match-fixing suspectHowever, Hussein, who acknowledged that the vice is here with us, promised to beat the fixers in their game by addressing the factors that promote it. “It is an elephant in the room right now and we have to address it. We have to take it head-on. We have an elaborate plan on how to deal with it. Match fixing is a result of many factors and I can assure that we are ready to fight it,” he promised. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8555182##One of the reasons hampering the fight against match manipulation is the lack of legislation, as the practice is not legally considered a crime in the country. Football stakeholders have in the past, petitioned parliament to pass laws aimed at criminalizing match-fixing, but much of the desired progress is yet to be realized. Former Mathare defender wins case against match fixing suspensionHussein, in his maiden media address after he was declared the winner, vowed to help hasten parliament to pass the laws that will go a long way in curbing the vice.”We have to put the right systems in place, remunerate our players well, have the right legislation in place, train investigators and capacity building for our referees,” he added.
