The FKF (Football Kenya Federation) recently wrote to FIFA to request that its world football suspension is overturned. How far could they go if they returned?
The government of Kenya and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) recently wrote to FIFA (the official governing body of world football) requesting that the east African nation’s global suspension from football is finally lifted.
After they were suspended by FIFA, Kenya were barred from taking part in the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The question being asked here is, if the suspension is lifted, how far could the Kenya national football team go? Find out more right here.
Why was Kenya suspended from international football by FIFA?
Both Kenya and Zimbabwe were banned from world football by governing body FIFA back in February 2022 because the running of the game was interfered with by the government. According to reports, Kenya’s sports ministry was disbanded by FKF over alleged misappropriation of funds. A caretaker committee was then appointed in November 2021.
Also in the same month, the board of Zimbabwe’s FA (known as Zifa) was suspended by the country’s Sports and Recreation Commission that was government-appointed after allegations of fraud were also made, along with alleged sexual harassment of female referees. The former FKF president, Nick Mwendwa, ended up being forcibly removed from his position after being charged with numerous counts of fraud.
What’s next for Kenya?
The FKF has contacted FIFA to request its suspension be overturned. As demanded by FIFA, the control of the FKF offices have been awarded back to the board, and both the FKF general secretary Barry Otieno and vice-president Doris Petra have had their positions reinstated. They believe that they have met the conditions requested by FIFA, which should now enable the country to be able to return to world football after the suspension is lifted.
Kenya and the online betting market
If you try to find a fully licensed sports betting site that has markets for the Kenyan men’s national football team today, you won’t find any because you can rarely find betting markets for any friendly games. If you would like to play the best casino table games online while you’re waiting for Kenya to return to international football, head over to the Ask Gamblers website, where you can find a list of today’s best online casinos.
Talks are apparently underway to lift Kenya’s current suspension, but the process could still take a long time. The suspension has already cost them the chance to participate in two major football tournaments.
Where are Kenya ranked in the official FIFA world rankings?
Despite the suspension, Kenya’s men’s national football team still appears on the official FIFA World Rankings chart, and they are currently ranked at number 101. Let’s take a quick look at how they compare to other African nations.
- #18 – Senegal: currently the highest-ranking African nation on the official FIFA World Rankings chart
- #22 – Morocco
- #30 – Tunisia
- #32 – Nigeria
- #37 – Algeria
- #39 – Egypt
- #43 – Cameroon
- #46 – Mali
- #48 – Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- #54 – Burkina Faso
Other honorable mentions
Ghana are currently ranked at number 61. You also have South Africa at number 67, Cabo Verde at number 71, Congo DR at number 73, Gabon at number 81, Guinea at number 83, and Zambia at number 88. Uganda are currently 89th in the world, ahead of Benin (#91), Equatorial Guinea (#98), Congo (#100), and Madagascar, who are just behind Kenya in the official world rankings at number 102. There are another 26 African nations currently ranked lower than these teams. The highest Kenya have ever ranked is number 68 in December 2008, and the lowest they have ranked is number 137 in July 2007.
How far could Kenya go when their suspension gets lifted?
If and when the suspension is lifted, Kenya could easily qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) because they have a strong squad, and there’s a good chance that if they do well in this tournament and build on their side, they could even qualify for the unthinkable – the FIFA World Cup 2026, but it’s still too early to tell yet. They are still able to play friendlies, but they can only improve by competing in tournaments against some of the best football teams in the world.
How have they fared in recent games?
Kenya recently beat Rwanda 2-1 at their home ground. They have drawn twice with Uganda (1-1 and 0-0). They have lost on two separate occasions to Mali (5-0 in their first game and 1-0 in their second meeting). They beat Togo 2-1 away, and they drew 1-1 with Egypt. There’s a long way to go yet, and they need to get their suspension lifted before they can seriously start thinking about challenging for major trophies.
