Kenya-Rwanda friendly unlikely

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is likely to turn down Rwanda’s request for a friendly match after it emerged that officials are appealing to sponsors and well-wishers to bail out the broke Harambee Stars.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

2014 World Cup QualifierJune 9Mali     vs      Rwanda [Bamako]Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is likely to turn down Rwanda’s request for a friendly match after it emerged that officials are appealing to sponsors and well-wishers to bail out the broke Harambee Stars.Harambee Stars have a World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria, the Cosafa tournament due in Zambia and the regional Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, all in the next two months. The team is also set to play Ghana in an international friendly scheduled for June 1, three days before facing the Super Eagles in the World Cup qualifier.Consequently, the FKF is looking for Kshs200 million (Approx US$ 2.3m) ahead of these games. Recently, Rwanda Football Federation requested their Kenyan counterparts for a friendly match between the two countries.The communication was done by phone and both parties agreed mutually to honour the friendly match.Rwanda is currently waiting for Kenya’s official response; however, the current state of affairs in Kenya football puts the match in balance, and chances are that it may not take place.The Kenyan national team is sponsored by EABL to the tune of Kshs110 million [US$1.3m] through the Tusker brand under a three-year contract, effective from 2011. "This is a drop in the ocean due to Harambee heightened activities this year, after exhausting the budget in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and last December’s Cecafa Tusker Senior Challenge Cup in Uganda,” says a statement from FKF boss Sam Nyamweya.