Adel Amrouche: CS Amina tells off FKF over KSh109 million debt

Sports CS Amb. Amina Mohamed has stuck a high boot on Football Kenya Federation over KSh109, 919, 863 that the Court of Arbitration for Sport awarded former Harambee Stars coach Adel Amrouche, according to reports appearing in The Standard newspaper and on their digital platform.

World football governing body, Fifa, gave FKF until yesterday to pay up or face the music, which could include throwing Kenya out of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

FKF president Nick Mwendwa had told Standard Sports last Thursday they had approached the Sports Ministry to help foot the bill — the basis on which Fifa extended the deadline until yesterday.

However, in a stunning counter-attack yesterday, Amina said: “No government in its right senses would fork out KSh109million to pay an individual for the mistakes of an irresponsible federation.”

“I don’t understand it,” Amina fumed.

“It is baffling to expect the government to pay for the irresponsible behaviour of a federation seeking to abdicate its role,” she said when asked whether the State had intervened by close of business yesterday to avoid an impending, but unspecified Fifa action.

“This has nothing to do with government. Why is FKF not negotiating with Fifa or the coach (Adel Amrouche) on a payment plan?

“They can pay it using their resources, such as from their sponsors or gate collections. It is unfair to expect the government to use tax-payers’ money for something FKF brought upon itself.

She added: “Why for instance did they let go of the coach without consulting the government. And if after losing the case, why did they appeal knowing the consequences of such action given the gravity of the case?” Amina posed.

On 29 August 2017, Fifa Players Status Committee awarded Adel KSh65 million plus interest, but FKF — unhappy with the ruling — appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 14 February, 2018.

However, on September 19 last year, CAS upheld Adel’s case and awarded him KSh86.25m in compensation, salaries owed plus interest.

CAS dismissed the appeal by FKF in its entirety besides also trashing any further claims or requests for relief.

And in a letter dated 28 February this year, Fifa notified FKF that it had opened disciplinary proceedings for “failure to respect a decision passed by a body, a committee or an instance of Fifa or a CAS decision” – itself a serious breach of Fifa’s Statutes.

It added: “Should the aforementioned party, FKF, fail to submit its position within the stipulated deadline, the member of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee will decide on the case using the file in its possession.”

Fifa once expelled Zimbabwe from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers on 12 March, 2015, for a similar offence after the FA failed to pay Brazilian coach Jose Claudinei Georgini ‘Valinhos’ his dues.

FKF President Nick Mwendwa was not immediately available, yesterday, to comment on CS Amina’s latest tough stance.

On 5 March, however, Mwendwa told Standard Sports he could not fathom Harambee Stars missing out on Qatar 2022 qualifiers, which they have been drawn in Group E together with Uganda, Rwanda, and Mali.

“Just like we’ve said before, without the government paying there is nowhere we can get that money. I believe the government will do it. I can’t fathom that Kenya will be out of Qatar,” Mwendwa said on 5 March.