Football Kenya Federation in tight corner over Amrouche pay
People Reporter
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Chief Executive Officer Barry Otieno is crying foul over the latest Fifa ruling requiring them to pay Belgian coach Adel Amrouche Sh109 million for breach of contract within 30 days.
Otieno feels his team is being held unfairly responsible for offences committed by the immediate former regime under the stewardship of then federation chief Sam Keengu Nyamweya.
He disclosed that present office-bearers had written to the Ministry of Sport to seek a way forward.
The head of Fifa Disciplinary Department Carlos Schneider Salvadores on Monday evening issued a ruling demanding that FKF pays the former Harambee Stars coach a total of Sh109 million for wrongful dismissal in 2014.
“FKF is found guilty of failing to comply in full with the Arbitral award rendered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on September 19, 2019, partially confirming the decision of the Single Judge of the Players’Status Committee on August 29, 2017 according to which a number of things were ordered,” read the ruling by Salvadores.
It further stated: “Coach Amrouche to be paid Sh86,250,00 as compensation for breach of contract within 30 days as from the date of notification of the award, plus five per cent interest per annum on said amount as from March 4, 2016 until the date of effective payment.
A further Sh5 million to be paid to him as outstanding renumeration also within 30 days as from the date of notification of the decision, plus interest as follows, five per cent per annum over the amount of Sh2.5million from July 21, 2014 until the date of effective payment and five per cent per annum over the amount of Sh2.5 million from August 21, 2014 until the date of effective payment.”
If FKF is unable to pay Amrouche the money within the 30 days, the matter will upon the request of the coach, be resubmitted to the Disciplinary Committee to impose harsher sanctions on the federation. The sanctions may include expulsion from all Fifa competitions.
“We are carrying a burden of the past regime. During our regime, we have had four coaches, Stanley Okumbi, Paul Putt, Sebastian Migne and now Francis Kimanzi and none of them ever went to court because of contractual or payment issues,” Otieno told People Sport.
He added: “Nyamweya never even gave us hand over notes. We are learning of all these debts through litigations.”
Amrouche’s contract was terminated in 2014 by FKF after Confederation of African Football (CAF) suspended him for confronting a centre referee during an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Comoros in Moroni.
Pundits feel that instead of terminating the coach’s five-year contract and installing Bobby Williamson as he waited for his appeal to be heard and determined, the previous office should have temporarily replaced him with assistant coach James Nandwa until the case with CAF was sorted out.
Nyamweya has, however distanced himself from the claims, saying: “Dragging my name into their arrogant failure to honour a substantive contract in the manner Mr Otieno is purporting to do is laughable yet unfortunate, principally because it exposes the incompetence that has been resident at Kandanda House for the past four years.
Little wonder they were unable to respect the rule of law, FIFA Statutes and even their own constitution.”
