FKF Boss Weighs in on Claims of Officials Influencing National Team Selection

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed maintains that national team coaches have a free hand to select their squads without interference.

There have been claims of coaches receiving instructions from certain officials to field particular players in various competitions or hand them call-ups for international assignments.

However, Mohammed says he leads from the front on this issue, insisting that players are selected purely on merit.

“I have never called any of these guys in the technical bench and ordered them to play a certain player,” Mohammed said during a send-off dinner for the Junior Starlets before they begin their pre-World Cup camp.

“I never interfere with the technical bench and that is because I believe you are here on merit. That you are the best that this bench can put together. If you are the best, I am sure you will be able to pick the best,” he added.

Over the years, claims of favouritsm have dominated national team selection from junior to senior teams in both men and women’s sides, especially when players who are on form are overlooked, sometimes for those without a club.

That has seen coaches blamed for listening to outside forces when selecting players to call in camp or those to field on matchdays.