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A section of retired footballers has criticised the management of premier league football clubs in Kenya adding that cartels led by brokers have hindered the development of youth football in the country.

 Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, the 1998 Football Kenya Federation premier league winner Boniface Ambani took issue with his former club AFC Leopards officials over malpractices while in office.

 “ It’s now more than a decade since Ingwe won the league title thanks to poor management from leaders who seem not to be accountable for their deeds in office,” Ambani said, adding that members should be questioning the club’s management every season that their trophy cabinet is empty.

 Ambani who later signed for Tusker for the 2006 season and finished top on the scoring chart in Kenya, could not hide his frustrations with the now Robert Matano-led side.

Many questions

 “This is one of the best clubs across East Africa, but of late the signing of players leaves more to be desired. Many questions need to be answered because brokers have invaded the market leaving our young players nowhere to go,” said Ambani.

 Ambani’s sentiments have also been echoed by AFC Leopards legend Josephat Murilla who, on the contrary also added that coaches needed time to build their squads.

Splashing of money

 Murilla however did not shy away from condemning the splashing of money to sign foreign players at the expense of developing younger ones among the youth in Kenya.

 In March last year, Ingwe were banned by Fifa from signing players for two transfer windows after failing to settle Rwandan midfielder Vincent Habamahoro’s Sh1.8 million.

 The Rwandan was signed by Ingwe in 2018 but left after only four months at the club citing non-payment.

In November again, their archrivals Gor Mahia also suffered the same fate when they defied Fifa’s orders not to sign new players after failing to settle the dues of Ugandan Shafik Batambuze, Tanzanian Dickson Ambundo and English man Steve Polack who was the head coach at the time.

 Now former players are condemning the appetite to sign foreigners who according to them are a result of bad deals run by cartels who do not care about developing young players and giving opportunities to local coaches in Kenya.