I am not impressed by the sentiments expressed by a number of Kenyan international players lately with regard to the forthcoming football elections in the country in August.
I am talking about Dennis Oliech, Patrick Oboya and Musa Otieno. These three have been quoted by the media as advising lovers of football to vote wisely during the elections. Now, this is the kind of talk that we are always hearing from politicians when parliamentary elections are around the corner.
Just in case you don’t know, Musa, Oliech and Oboya have plied their trade outside this country. Musa has played for Santos in South Africa and was the captain of Harambee Stars before retiring from the national team; Oliech plays for Auxerre in France and is the current captain of the national team, while Oboya plays for Banik Most in the Czech Republic.
By virtue of the fact that they have played as professionals outside this country, it can be said that these gentlemen are exposed to running of football professionally and they know what needs to be done to heal our ailing football. These are the people that the country looks up to to give us direction at a time like this when elections are just around the corner.
I was even more intrigued by Musa Otieno who said that he will be taking no sides in the battle that is pitting well known gentlemen and women who have been involved in the management of football in this country for more than two decades now, and a few new faces in football circles.
As Kenyans who have had the privilege of playing soccer beyond the borders of this country, these three gentlemen should be telling Kenyans who they think are the right people to be voted into office. They have been around long enough, worked with some of these people, and so they know them well enough to be able to guide the voters.
But alas, they are telling delegates to “vote wisely” even without telling them what they should be looking for as they walk into the voting booth. What is the point of these gentlemen telling the delegates who are going to participate in the elections to vote wisely without giving them clear directions?
These are people who ought to know what the problem is with Kenyan football and they should be able to offer guidance and direction to many others who do not know much about football affairs in the country.
I know for a fact that these people know the men and women who have offered themselves for election into office, they know what they have done for football in the country and what they are capable of doing. They know very well those who have taken the game of football to the dogs in this country in the past and thus should not be allowed to continue running football in the country.
Why are they now pretending to be ignorant of these facts by asking the delegates to vote wisely? To me, this is just sheer indecisiveness, opportunism and dishonesty by these stars. They do not want to rub anyone the wrong way with the hope of being in the good books of whoever will come into office after the elections. Taking a stand about elective positions in football does not mean that one is enemies with someone.
For me, these stars have failed the test of leadership. They have failed to take a clear stand about people and issues that are very clear to them. What they are telling Kenyans is akin to sending a child to the shops and warning him to be careful on the road without telling the child specifically what he ought to do in order not to be knocked down by a car.
For the people who have offered their candidature for different offices, I can vouch for Mohammed Hussein. Those who follow football closely know what he has already done in this country with regard to football. If I was a delegate, I would not hesitate to vote for him, of coursed with the expectation that he would continue doing what he has been doing.
Hussein announced the other day that he would be joining up with Sammy Sholei as his running mate. I am not so sure about what Sholei has done for football in this country apart from being a former national player. I would hesitate to vote for Sholei just because he is a former national player. That alone is not a good enough reason for voting for someone. This is no different from voting for someone just because he is a youth as some aspirants have been urging voters to do. Youth does not necessarily mean better.
We know what the other aspirants like Sam Nyamweya, Sammy Kasuve, and Hussein Swaleh have done in this country with regard to football. They have a track record from which to judge them. I think that they have done the much that they could and they need to give a chance to new blood with new ideas. I do not think they are going to offer any new idea in as far as taking the country to the next level in the world of football is concerned.
Since I know that it is very easy for someone who loves football in this country to know what has happening and knows the track record of some of those running for office, I don’t understand why Musa, Oliech and Oboya are not forthright in their statements.
Who are they standing with regard to football affairs in this country? Are they standing with those who have run down football in this country or do they stand with those who have already contributed positively to the development of football and ought to be given a clear mandate in the forthcoming elections? The difference between these two lots is as clear as night and day!
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