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Silly sports union wrangles are back, Wario crack the whip

Counties

rugby players

Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Arts and Culture, Hassan Wario, are you seeing what is happening to various bodies charged with the responsibility of managing sports in this country?

If you didn’t know, sir, it is another season of madness in our sports’ unions. Put differently, the time when fights erupt at various sports organisations is here with us again.

From athletics to rugby to football, the various associations managing these sports are currently embroiled in fiery back-and-forths. It is as if the wrangles were waiting for October to blow up. For the Love of the Game knows this was bound to happen. The signs were there, but they were ignored or muted.

 Embarrassing beating

Let us start with rugby. The 7s team was stripped naked at the recent Gold Coast games in Australia in a fashion ardent rugby fans cannot accept.

The embarrassing beating came barely a week after the team lost the Safaricom Sevens title, at home! And what is the genesis of all this? You see, the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) is on fire, never mind the game is fast gaining popularity.

KRU officials kicked out all seasoned players allegedly because they had asked for allowances and better pay. Their places were taken by fresh faces who continue to take a thorough beating in major games.

We are not against the new faces, but all indications are clear that the time was not ripe to bring them on board. Since when do we lose 40-nil?

And as the embarrassment continues, KRU Chairman Mwangi Muthee and his deputy Philip Jalang’o are engaged in a battle of World War II proportions.

The two are allegedly fighting for their egos and control of KRU resources that come from Safaricom, Kenya Airways and East African Breweries Ltd. Those who are expecting growth in the games must be hardcore optimists.

A similar war is happening at Athletics Kenya, where Chairman Isaiah Kiplagat is wrangling with officials of several branches. Last week, the branch officials accused Kiplagat of dictatorship and lack of tact and asked him to resign by October 31 or face a coup.

Well, such a veteran, who we can equate to Fifa’s Sepp Blatter, cannot take such threats lying down. And that is where this brawl gets interesting because it has just started.

 Storm is brewing

Perhaps it is time the old-geezer calls it a day, but this should be done in a manner that does not affect the sport. The football scene is no different. While there’s some sense of normalcy, a storm is brewing at Harambee Stars, with a veteran player being shunned by new coach Bobby Williamson.

Poor Denis Oliech invited himself for training and to his shock, the coach didn’t seem interested in him; so much so that he never bothered to include him in the squad that lost to Morocco is a friendly match early last week!

We are keenly watching what happens next. The sad thing about all these fights is that the Sports ministry is cheering as they snowball into major crises. The new brooms at the ministry seem not willing to bring sanity back to our sports.

Mr Wario, please crack the whip before things worsen unless you want to leave a legacy similar to that of your predecessors.

 

 

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