- Hussein Mohammed visited his new offices on December 9 after being elected as the new President of the Kenya Football Federation
- Mohammed won in the second round of voting and officially ended the eight-year rule of Nick Mwendwa.
- He has his work cut out for him in a country rich in player talent but lagging behind with poor policies and infrastructure
Those who know him closely insist that it has been his dream to lead Kenyan football – and on December 7, at the Indoor Stadium of Kasaranihis dream came true.
Hussein Mohammed was elected as the new President of the Kenya Football Federation after getting 67 votes in the second round of voting.
Source: Twitter
The CEO of Extreme Sports will deputize former Kenyan international McDonald Mariga as he embarks on reforming domestic football, which is, to put it bluntly, below par.
Mohamed who has always been quiet and calm, unlike his predecessor, hit the rock by going to the FKF headquarters in the Goal Project on Monday.
A big task awaits Hussein Mohammed
The new boss sold an ambitious campaign plan, but some key issues will require his immediate attention.
1. Preparations for CHAN 2024
To be fair to him, there is nothing the federal government can do at this time but we hope that the government will bring the necessary infrastructure before the December 31 deadline.
There have been rumors of Kenya losing its place to Rwanda, but Mohammed was happy that Kenya will host the tournament alongside Uganda and Tanzania. Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen is expected to launch the organizing committee for the area on Tuesday morning.
Be that as it may, Mohammed needs to ensure that the team is ready enough to host the entire continent. Poor preparation has cost our national teams in the past, countless times, and how the new President handles this in his early days will set the tone for how the next four years will be.
2. Firing Engin Firat
Part of the preparations mentioned above include firing Engin Firat.
It may be as simple as it sounds, depending on the type of contract the current head coach of Harambee Stars signed with the previous administration, but the general consensus among local football fans is that his time has expired.
Three competitive wins in three years is not the kind of record a country wants to qualify for AFCON from time to time, and the World Cup in the near future should be entertaining.
It's true, Firat hasn't been in the best of circumstances at times, but his tactics, opinions and squad selection are inexcusable.
3. Improving the Kenya Premier League
That Kenya has fallen behind in the quality of our league compared to our neighbors is no longer a secret. It is a shame that the clubs of Tanzania are qualifying for the competition of the best clubs in Africa these days while the Kenyan clubs are fighting from the first round.
The quality of the league directly translates to how Tanzania has made light work of qualifying for AFCON in recent years.
Mohammed built a reputation for organizing successful grassroots tournaments. Of course, the national leagues will be a different ball game, but the modus operandi should be the same.
The league should be returned to an independent company to run, and better sponsors should be brought in. TV coverage also needs to be strengthened as our players can grow better if their games reach a wider audience.
Brands of companies like Safaricom and Coca-Cola should be encouraged to start grassroots football as they have done in the past to provide a launching pad for young players.
There is also the manager's mess, the disaster of planning the results and the salaries of the players, which should be looked at immediately.
Mohammed and Mariga have promised to start afresh and with a game followed by millions of people across the country, many will hope that this is the team that will change the country's football for the better.
Tanzania beat Kenya in the FIFA rankings
Earlier TUKO.co.ke had reported that Tanzania had overtaken Kenya in the latest FIFA rankings.
Tanzania qualified for AFCON for the third time in a row, while Kenya failed to qualify for Morocco.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
