Kenya appoint new director of football

Kenya' s soccer officials on Thursday appointed a new technical director to spearhead development of the game after the office went for several months without a holder.

Romanian-born German national, Andreas Spier, was officially unveiled in Nairobi by the president of Football Kenya Federation, Nick Mwendwa, during a ceremony that was graced by football stakeholders including SportPesa, the local betting company that will pay the expatriate' s salary.

"We searched across the world so that we would employ the services of a technical director to spearhead development of football in conformity with FIFA regulations that has made the requirement mandatory," Mwendwa told journalists.

"Failure to do so would have seen us go without funding from the global football governing body because FIFA sends money for football development projects through the technical director," the FKF president said.

Prior to his latest appointment, Spier, 54, worked as the head coach of Romania Under 19 national team between 2014 and April 2016 and is also experience in African football having worked as coach of Rwanda senior women' s team in 2008 before taking over at APR football club youth team a year later.

Spier who succeeds Patrick Naggi will be tasked with spearheading championing the youth development agenda, which is one of the pillars of the new administration that took office last in February this year.

Spier said his program is a long term approach that will include many activities which will target grassroots projects and coaches.

"There is capacity in Kenya to improve quality of coaching in the country. However, Kenyans will have to observe patience because nothing can yield results in a short time. It is a long process that will take to bear fruits," he said.

He expressed his optimism that with support from the new football leadership in the country, he will meet his target. Endit