Somali Football Federation (SFF) has denied knowledge about the recent public announcement by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Sam Nyamweya that the forth coming CECAFA senior Challenge Cup would be played under a theme ‘peace for Somalia’.
Somali FA Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab said in a press statement on Monday that their Federation was not aware of the arrangements and therefore distanced themselves from such details.
“It came to us as a surprise when we heard in the media, the FKF president Sam Nyamweya announcing a decision of football for peace meeting on Somalia and what he described as ‘peace for Somalia’ theme for the 2013 CECAFA senior challenge cup—that is something which doesn’t concern Somalia and it is confined to the man who said it in the media” Explained Abdi Qani Said Arab.
Abdi Qani is also a member of CECAFA Executive committee and the chairperson of Challenge Cup organizing committee.
His statement further said that whoever was concerned about helping peace in Somalia through football could directly contact Somali Football Federation who is the right body to organize or announce such football for peace initiatives or they could have contacted the regional football governing body CECAFA where Somalia is full member.
“Kenya and Somalia have long-existed cooperative and brotherly relations in both governmental and football and I declare that SFF and FKF had developed major and bilateral co-operations, so I urge the Football Kenya Federation president Sam Nyamweya to justify for the unacceptable speech he told in the Kenyan media in respect to the long-standing ties between us” the statement further reads.
The statement said that Somali Football Federations considers the FKF president’s announcement as an ‘unwanted propaganda’ which has nothing to do with Somali football Federation and the entire people of Somalia.
