Be ready to shoulder the blame over Chan, fuming Nyamweya tells FA Chief Mwendwa

Former Football Kenya Federation president Sam Nyamweya has told his successor Nick Mwendwa to be ready to shoulder the blame if the Confederation of African Football (Caf) strips Kenya of the hosting rights for the 2018 CHAN competition.

Kenya were handed the hosting rights two years ago but are lagging behind in as far as the readiness for the match venues is concerned.

Silent Exit

Nyamweya’s bold demands to his former ally turned erstwhile successor comes in the backdrop of a silent exit of CAF’s inspection team that toured Kenya last week.

The inspection team left the country without holding a press conference as had been lined up in their six-day itinerary.

“I’m afraid Kenya will lose this great opportunity despite having all the time to prepare for CHAN. From my experience FIFA and CAF do not compromise when it comes to standards of their tournaments, Nyamweysa said, adding that, “the current FKF leadership failed to push for government support early enough, and the last minute rush will not help us. The government does not run football, so if there is no one to engage them seriously they have a million things to take care of,” Nyamweya said.

The beleaguered Mwendwa had vowed to step down if Kenya fails to host the lower-tier biennial competition, which is a reserve for players plying their trade within the domestic leagues of their countries.

Lagging Behind

While CAF has expressed confidence with other amenities required for the football showpiece, match venues remain the greatest concern with slightly over three months to go.

Eldoret’s  Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Meru’s Kinoru Stadium, the Nyayo  National Stadium in Nairobi– are all lagging behind schedule.

Only the multi-purpose 60,000 seater Kasarani Stadium has so far got the nod of the inspectors.