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Kasuve: I’m the Chebukati of Kenyan football

The former FKF vice president Titus Kasuve [Courtesy]

Titus Kasuve is a man who always wants things done his way.

The former Football Kenya Federation vice president (previously Football Kenya Limited) portrays an administrator who attracts both admiration and resentment in his line of duty, winning himself love and loathe at the same time.

After losing elections in 2011, Kasuve served in a pulpit as a moderator at Parklands Baptist between 2015 and 2017 as he also managed his real estate businesses before bouncing back into football administration in November 2021.

Kasuve made a comeback into football management albeit temporarily after a decade in the cold when he was appointed last year by Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed as part of the 15-member FKF Caretaker Committee following the disbandment of the federation over allegations of misappropriation of funds on November 11.

Though his appointment attracted a lot of criticism with most critics accusing the CS of reviving a career of an official who had mismanaged the game during his reign, Kasuve says it’s only because of his perceived authoritarian leadership that he has made friends and foes in equal measure.

Even as their six-month period nears expiry on May 11, Kasuve who is serving on the Committee as the head of the referees’ sub-committee, feels the Justice (Rtd) Aaron Ringera-led Committee has tried its best in bringing sanity back into the game.

“Kenyans can judge me…Kasuve is a no-nonsense man when it comes to football matters. I know I’m good at administration and when you are good at something, a lot of people will be disappointed. I will not laugh. The way I am when I’m dealing with the issue of referees we will not be friends; you cross the line we deal with you according to the rule of law,” Kasuve told Standard Sports.

“A lot of people might not be happy, but for me I don’t know shortcuts. I will speak the way it is. Many people don’t like being told the truth and they are disappointed I’m there because they know there will be no jokes. And you have already seen it, we have not joked. Where I’m and given responsibilities, I will do it to the best of my knowledge. People can argue, they can say a lot of things but that doesn’t bother me. I will not get distracted, we must sort out Kenyan football.

He continued: “The journey has been a bit difficult and complicated. As you know sometimes, changes are not easy but right now we can see some light at the end of the tunnel in terms of refereeing.

“We have achieved what we’ve achieved. Look at what we have done, we would be able to give you a scorecard of what we have been able to do, where we found the game and where we are leaving it. We are not angels; we are human beings too. But I know, we have done a good job. We’ve sorted out the issue of the constitution which has been a big issue, we are now waiting for discussions to take place with members of FKF. A lot of people have been fighting because they don’t seem to understand. FKF has its own members and those are the people we are going to deal with.

“We are dealing with the 48 FKF branches, Premier League clubs, NSL clubs, Women Premier League and Division One clubs. That’s how it’s supposed to be done. There are a lot of interests in football. But if we can put aside our personal interests and come together, we will be able to sort out this issue.”

Welfare

While Kasuve is pleased to have tried to improve referees’ welfare in the country that has seen an increase in pay and equal payment for both men and women referees, he would love to finish their mandate in the allocated period.

“We were mandated for six months. I don’t think there will be an extension. Honestly, I never knew I was given this job with an intention of getting an extension. I would love to finish this job within the allocated time and return to the football family,” said Kasuve.

“Plans are underway for all our referees to register as NHIF members. But unfortunately we have realized that many of our referees are employed somewhere else. This is just a side job. We would like to make refereeing a profession. But to get proper and professional referees, we need people who have gone to school like Peter Waweru. I know people might not take it kindly, but for us to be able to move to another level we need to be very specific on the kind of people we are recruiting into refereeing.”

Reacting to the claims of poor officiating and match fixing that have rocked the country recently, Kasuve absolved the men in black of any blame as he warned players, fans and club officials against attacking the referees.

“A referee is like a judge or a magistrate. When a magistrate or a judge rules against you, do you go with your family to beat them? I made the Caretaker Committee laugh when I told them, I’m the Chebukati (in reference to IEBC chairman) of football now chairing the referees’ committee,” he said.

“For us, touching a match official is a no-go-zone. No fan has a right to assault a referee. There are rules to be followed and all clubs know what to do in case they feel aggrieved with officiating. We will not accept our referees to be assaulted at all. Anybody who does it will be dealt with in a very serious way. We have had serious issues where referees have been assaulted and they have told us they are not going to officiate in such stadiums. In solidarity with referees, we refused to appoint referees to officiate matches in such venues.

“In most matches we are realising that referees are being attacked by the technical bench. Those are the people who are influencing the fans. Referees are not robots; they are human beings and man is to error. They can make mistakes and own up. Remember we are no longer being watched internationally. We have instructed all clubs not to come to us and complain without recording the matches. That will help to settle a lot of issues.”

He added: “Match fixing doesn’t involve one person. We need to be careful with the type of words we use. Football is a team sport and you can’t fix it with one person. If there is match fixing, take it from me, the technical bench and players will be involved. Referees might make mistakes that make you think they are part of it. We have looked at the clips of what you are referring to, I can say the explanation they gave to us was satisfactory. Don’t forget that the decision of the referee is always final.”

Asked if the referees have been paid all their dues, Kasuve said: “No referee can refuse to handover a report, it’s the report that will make them get paid. If you don’t handover the report, how will we justify to pay you? There’s a technical hitch in our accounting system and I believe it has been sorted out. Monies have been released and they will be paid. The longest they’ve gone without pay is one month, which is normal.”

Having been part of the federation that was suspended by Fifa between 2006 and 2007, Kasuve knows what needs to be done for the suspension which was imposed on Kenya last month to be lifted.

The suspension is likely to be either ratified or lifted tomorrow during Fifa’s Congress meeting in Doha, Qatar depending on whether the conditions set by the Zurich-based body are met.

“The effects of the suspension are dire. I’m a football man and I was in the federation as the Vice president when we were suspended. It’s a very painful experience. You might not feel the implications now, but it will be felt in the next few months if we are not able to sort it out. This is not something any country should celebrate. I laugh when I see people say, let’s be banned even for 10 years. The impact is huge and negatively affects everybody in the game (referees, players, clubs, instructors and the entire country),” said Kasuve.

“During our time, we had to use the government for the suspension to be lifted. We admitted to our mistakes, sat down with the government, agreed to work together and resolved the matter.”

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