Kenya has been dealt a major blow after the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) banned the country's top stadia from hosting any International competitions.
FIFA ruled that Nyayo and Kasarani stadia are of substandard quality and should not be used for such international games.
"Reference to the inspection visit conducted by CAF in Moi International Sports Center Kasarani as part of the stadium's assessment for homologation for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - African qualifiers, based on the inspection report, we regret to inform you that the stadium did not meet the set minimum CAF stadium requirements and consequently will not be approved for the qualifying matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 matchday 5 and 6."
"Unfortunately, following the various temporary approvals given by CAF for the use of Mol International Sports Centre Kasarani Stadium in CAF competitions, the stadium still lacks several CAF criteria and requirements in order to properly host international senior competitions. As a result, we have taken the following decision," FIFA stated.
FIFA further directed Kenya not to host other Confederation of African Football (CAF) men's senior national teams and CAF men's interclub competitions.
It directed the stadium authorities to conduct a complete renovation and refurbishment work of the stadium, in order to ensure that the stadium is approved in the future for CAF competitions.
"We recommend that the renovation plan is based on modern architecture, contemporary design, and quality materials with a clear project plan and specific timelines."
"In order for CAF to follow the progress of the renovation works, we ask your federation to provide an action plan with the tasks and timelines for the completion of the works in the stadium," it added.
The ban comes just a month after Kenya hosted the World U20 Championships at the Kasarani Stadium. Kenya also hosted the IAAF (now World Athletics) World U18 championship in July 2017 at the same stadium.
In September 2021, the stadium was also used to host the second edition of the Kip Keino Classic which attracted local and global stars.
The ban also follows months after the government completed the renovation of Nyayo Stadium, upgrading it to international standards.
