Somalia denounces FKF announcement on Cecafa

The Somalia Football Federation (SFF)

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

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The Somalia Football Federation (SFF) says it is unaware of a peaceful initiative to be organised in Nairobi alongside this year’s Senior Challenge Cup in Kenya.

The federation’s Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab (pictured) said they were surprised by an announcement by the Football Kenya Federation in this regard.

“It came to us as a surprise when we heard in the media an announcement that a peace meeting regarding Somalia will be held during the regional tournament. We have not been informed about it and we denounce it,” he said in a statement.

“That is something which doesn’t concern Somalia and it is confined to the man who told the media,” emphasised Arab, who is also the chairperson of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations ( Cecafa) organising committee.

The statement said whoever is concerned about helping the peace effort in Somalia through football can contact SFF directly.

They said the football federation in the country is the right body to organise or announce such peace initiatives for Somalia, or they can contact the regional football governing body, Cecafa, to which Somalia is a full member.

“Kenya and Somalia have brotherly relations in both the government and football arenas,” read part of the statement.

“I declare that SFF and FKF had developed major and bilateral co-operations, so I urge the FKF president Sam Nyamweya to justify the unacceptable speech he made to the Kenyan media with respect to the long-standing ties between us.

“On the behalf of SFF, I announce that we are very grateful to the government and people of Kenya for the huge welcome they extended to Somali refugees in their country,” the SFF secretary general stated in his press statement.

The statement added that SFF views the FKF president’s announcement as “unwanted propaganda” that has nothing to do with the Somali Football Federation or the people of Somalia.

The regional tournament is scheduled to take place on November 27-December 2 in various stadia.
Teams outside the East and Central Africa zone have been invited, including Malawi, Zambia and Ivory Coast. The event will coincide with the Kenya @50 celebrations.

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