 Balala insists that the KFF board remains dissolved |
Kenya's sports minister Najib Balala has called on Fifa to appoint a neutral panel to organise fresh elections for the country's football federation.
"We want Fifa to appoint an independent body to oversee the elections," Balala said.
The sports minister accepted an invitation from Fifa to attend a 9 July meeting to resolve a dispute that led to the country's indefinite international ban.
Fifa meted the punishment to the country after the government refused to recognise the Kenya Football Federation (KFF) as the legitimate authority for the sport.
"Dialogue is the only way out to solve this problem. We in the government are ready to put aside our interests for the sake of our young players," Balala told BBC Sport.
The minister said he is keen to see Kenya's ban from international football lifted at the earliest opportunity.
"I am happy Fifa is giving us a hearing, because this is what we wanted from the beginning."
However, KFF secretary-general Hussein Swaleh - one of the people invited by Fifa for the 9 July meeting in Zurich - insisted Balala must accept the KFF's right to conduct elections for a new executive.
"We're still in charge of running football and nobody else is empowered by the KFF constitution to call for the elections except our office,'' said Swaleh.
But Balala, who appointed a transitional committee to run the affairs of Kenyan football after he dismissed the KFF board in March, said Swaleh's position was not tenable.
"I'll disagree with Fifa if they give former KFF officials the mandate to call for the elections," the sports minister warned.
"As far as we're concerned, Swaleh and his team are ex-officials of the federation, since their term in office has expired.
"I'll sit with them as ordinary Kenyans in Zurich,'' Balala said.
Balala has accused KFF officials of corruption and mismanagement, allegations which Swaleh has denied and challenged the government to prove in a court of law.
Swaleh and KFF chairman Maina Kariuki were recently interrogated by the anti-corruption police.
They were supposed to have appeared in court on Tuesday to answer the corruption charges.
But charges have not been brought.
MMIX
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Dialogue is the only way out 