‘I Pay for My Tickets and Accommodation’ - McDonald Mariga Decries Ill Treatment as FKF Boss Maintains Hardline Stance

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) vice president McDonald Mariga has opened up about the frustrations he is currently going through.

Mariga and his boss Hussein Mohammed have been on rival sides most of this year with the situation escalating when the former Harambee Stars midfielder and a section of FKF National Executive Committee (NEC) members attempted to suspend the federation president in April.

The Mariga-led team made a number of accusations against Mohammed and acting CEO Dennis Gicheru before FIFA termed the move unprocedural while asking the rival camps to dialogue.

However, attempts to resolve the differences have proved futile so far and as the two camps continue to pull apart, Mariga says he has been left to cater for all his expenses despite being second in command at FKF.

“Nowadays I pay for my tickets to go and support our teams,” Mariga said on Wednesday. “I pay for my tickets. I pay for my accommodation to support our teams because the federation does not want to pay for me the accommodation and air tickets.”

While revealing how deeply divided the federation is, Mariga says he has been completely sidelined so much so that he is now considered an outsider.

“Because of passion and love for the game, I pay for myself and I go to support our teams. I was there [in Dar es Salaam] for the U23. I went to support the U17 when they played against Uganda and I was told; ‘if you want to stay in this hotel you have to pay for yourself’,” he added.

“I will continue paying for myself [and] supporting the teams even if I am sidelined because my passion is football.

“I don’t get a salary from the federation; the NEC members are not paid. We don’t get anything from the federation. I pay my money because of the passion we have,” the UEFA Champions League winner further stated.

Mariga’s sentiments came a few hours after Mohammed had slammed the breakaway NEC faction for frustrating his efforts to find a truce.

Mohammed says he has initiated meetings but has found it hard to find a solution as the rival camp either does not attend or comes up with fresh demands with another one planned for Wednesday failing to take place due to lack of quorum. The federation boss now insists he will move on without the rest.

“We cannot punish millions of Kenyans because of seven people. They cannot be allowed to determine the future of an entire football community,” he said.

“Football must and shall go on,” he added, maintaining that all disputes can only be resolved by the federation’s congress amid reports that there has been a push to have Mariga removed.

“We will adhere to our constitution, we will adhere to our rules and regulations, we will adhere to all the processes required,” said Mohammed.

“And we have a supreme body that governs us, which is congress, and congress ultimately will determine the future of Kenyan football and the direction that it shall take.”

Mohammed addressed the media just after the Mariga-led team had stated that they had attended a NEC meeting on Tuesday where they listed 13 issues to be resolved but by close of the day, only four had been addressed.

The team claimed that there was an agreement to tackle the other nine on Wednesday but that the president abandoned that move and instead called for a formal NEC meeting before the outstanding issues were resolved, forcing them to withdraw.