FIFA chief under fire over double standards

Fifa’s Chief Member Associations Officer Veron Mosengo-Omba

Mosengo-Omba criticised for trashing Kenyan laws while upholding Ghana’s, embrace Zambian minister.

The relentless savaging of Fifa’s Chief Member Associations Officer Veron Mosengo-Omba for applying double standards on Zambia, Ghana on one hand and employing strong-arm tactics against Kenya on the other continues unabated.

While Mosengo-Omba directly wrote to Sports Minister Emmanuel Mulenga on March 30 accepting Zambia’s invitation to resolve election impasse in FAZ, the Fifa official has preferred to address Kenya’s independent Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) and Sports Minister through FKF CEO Barry Otieno.

By signing a binding decision with Ghana Sports Minister Abdul-Hamid Mustapha on June 22, 2018 affirming that the government of Ghana has the right to enforce its national laws against criminal conduct and illegality, Mosengo-Omba’s dealing with Kenya has raised eyebrows.

Yesterday, the Congolese national was criticised for rubbishing the ruling of the SDT on troubled FKF elections and giving a cold shoulder to one of Kenya’s top diplomats, Amb. Amina Mohamed, now the Sports Minister.

Amb. Amina, a trained lawyer, has won the hearts of local football stakeholders for the manner she has handled the crisis surrounding FKF’s bungled elections, which the SDT twice annulled for violating Fifa Statutes and Kenyan laws.

In rejecting and dismissing SDT’s request that Fifa forms a Normalisation Committee to organise fresh elections, Mosengo-Omba wrote to FKF CEO Barry Otieno and directed the official to forward the letter to the Minister and the Sports Tribunal.

The Fifa chief also wrote yesterday to the FKF official postponing a meeting he proposed to May.

“This is just too much. Respect begets respect. I refuse to think that those are Fifa’s values unless Veron is acting on his own,” former FKF Head of Women Football development, Angeline Mwikali, said.

A former security official of record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia said the Fifa officer’s conduct does not reflect the stature of the world football governing body.

“Fifa is a serious institution that understands the importance of diplomacy. Questions have been raised about his role in FKF’s OB van project, which all indications show the country will lose a fortune in Fifa Forward Programme financing,” said the official, who did not wish to be named.

“The standard practice by Fifa is to quote relevant resolutions, but a look at Veron’s letters leaves a lot to be desired,” he said.

The founder of former KPL side Kangemi United, Simon Mugo, maintained that the extension FKF NEC’s term of office is a violation of Fifa’s own Statutes.

“FKF NEC, whose mandate ended cannot continue being in office since they have neither been elected nor appointed as per the Fifa Statutes.

“Can Veron quote from which premise he is having persons neither elected nor appointed to be at the helm of FKF leadership? This is in total violation of the Fifa Statutes, FKF Constitution and the Sports Act,” Mugo said.

Yesterday, Mosengo-Omba wrote to FKF CEO to postpone the meeting to an unspecified date in May. The meeting will come long after the SDT will have rendered further directions on April 21.