World Cup visitors arriving to find Kenya in deep slumber

Africa is already abuzz four months to hosting the globe’s biggest sports extravaganza — the FIFA World Cup — for the first time. Keener calculations are going into the whole affair to give it the best shot for a big score that will see reviewers across the globe marvel: Africa’s done it!

Stakes are too high for the continent because it is going into the sophisticated game of hosting as an underdog.

Doom sayers are waiting in the wings for a chance to celebrate Africa’s failure and shout: We told you so!

Critically, the focus is shifting to the floundering economics and management of football in the continent. It is not written anywhere but it is possible all countries, especially South Africa’s neighbours, including Kenya, are jittery and wishing they had their football houses in order long before June 2010.

With all eyes on whether South Africa –– the host country –– will meet both the tight deadlines and high standards of infrastructure, set by FIFA for the event, concerns are piling over mismanagement of football in Africa.

Analysts say football management credentials in the continent have fallen below par, even as South Africa and her neighbours brace themselves to cash in on the influx of tourists by offering accommodation and travel packages as well as hosting some of the participating teams.

This, analysts argue, is going to be big business, which the countries should use to lift the faltering status of the game in the region.

“Soccer is emerging a very good business in the region but people appear to be going in it for the money,” says Vimal Shah, a renowned business leader, who chaired a committee set up by the Ministry of Sports to probe the wrangles of the game in Kenya. “This has ruined the sport. There is need to urgently get rid of the misuse of funds meant for this,” said Mr Shah.

For Kenya, this could be a wake-up call to its sports managers, coming at a time when the country is smarting from one of its biggest sports embarrassments –– a failed bid by its top mid-fielder McDonald Mariga to sign for big-spending Manchester City from Italian side Parma.

Mariga, who has since signed for Inter Milan, was set to make the historic move at a price tag of an estimated £7million (Sh847 million). He will get far much less at Inter.

Due to Kenya’s ranking at a lowly 98th position out of 203 countries, the Football Association — the body that oversees the running of soccer in the UK — denied the 22-year-old Mariga a work permit on the premise that only players from the top 70 nations would ply their trade in the most lucrative deal.

Sports analysts blamed the poor ranking on mismanagement of the sports by the Kenya Football Federation (KFF).

Even a last-minute intervention by Prime Minister Raila Odinga to see the move to fruition proved too little too late.

Tug-of-war

This is happening when the Football Kenya Limited, a private company, and the KFF are tussling over the administration of the game.