By John Nene BBC Sport

Blatter has stressed the urgency of resolving Kenya's football crisis

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has turned down a request to postpone Friday's meeting between football's world governing body and Kenyan football authorities.

Last Thursday, Kenya's outgoing Sports Minister Najib Balala asked Fifa to postpone the Zurich meeting to allow the new minister, Ochillo Ayacko, time to prepare.

Ayacko took over from Balala in a cabinet reshuffle ordered by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki last week.

In a letter to Ayacko sent on 6 July, Blatter said that although he could not 'ignore the consequences of the recent reshuffling of the Kenyan government, it is . . not appropriate to postpone the meeting'.

Blatter continued, saying he hoped positive discussions 'will enable me to propose the lifting of the suspension imposed on the KFF and the rescheduling of the three qualification matches of the 'Harambee Stars' to the 2006 Fifa World Cup, which are, for the time being, only postponed.'

Fifa suspended Kenya from international football in June, citing government interference into the running of the Kenyan Football Federation (KFF).

Kenya want Fifa delay

And Blatter stressed the urgency of finding a solution to the crisis as reason not to postpone the meeting.

Officials from Fifa, the KFF and the Kenyan government are all expected at Fifa House on Friday, and Blatter asked Ayacko to name a representative from his ministry should he not be able to make the trip.

Balala disbanded the KFF executive committee in March because of what he said was mismanagement and corruption.

Kenya's suspension from international football means the national team's 2006 World Cup and Cup of Nations qualifiers have been postponed.

The Harambee Stars were supposed to have played Guinea, Morocco and Tunisia since early June, but these Group Five matches have been delayed.

Friday's meeting is expected to find a solution to the impasse within Kenyan football and define a roadmap which will bring Group Five up to date.