March 9 – World players union FIFPRO and Kenya Footballers Welfare Association have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn the cancellation of Kenya’s qualifier with Uganda, which ruled the Kenyan women’s national team out of the Africa Cup of Nations and quashed any chance of the country qualifying for the 2023 World Cup.
Last month, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) handed Kenya’s neighbours a bye after the FKF withdrew the team from the match with FKF secretary-general Barry Otieno wrote to CAF saying that the federation was “unable to independently plan and successfully execute any international matches”.
In a statement, FIFPRO said Kenya Women dispute this statement and believe the decision was “irrational, arbitrary and unlawful”.
FIFPRO and Kenya Footballers Welfare Association have launched their appeal against CAF, FKF and Uganda’s FA.
The appeal will be complicated by the fact that FIFA banned Kenya from world football because of government inference in the game.
Sports minister Amina Mohamed set up a caretaker committee for the FA after an investigation revealed financial irregularities at the FKF. The federation’s decision however sparked a backlash from players who expressed their disappointment and vowed to keep on fighting.
Kenya have a tradition of women’s national team football and participated in the 2016 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. In July, Morocco will stage the 12-team Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with four tickets for next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand at stake.
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