AFC Leopards players released after being detained over unpaid bills
Players and the technical bench of AFC Leopards have been released from a six-hour detention in a Mombasa hotel.
The management of the Jambo Village Hotel in Mombasa had detained the players owing to unpaid bills amounting to Sh 170, 000.
The team had been residing at the facility, located in Changamwe, for the past three days in the run up to their 2-1 league win against Bandari in a league match on Tuesday evening.
The outstanding bill was reportedly settled on Wednesday mid-morning and the team has embarked on the eight hour journey back to Nairobi.
The management of hotel, in an earlier interview, said it was forced to “hold onto” AFC Leopards first team until the club settled all the outstanding dues.
“Yes there is a problem, but such incidents are normal though they crop up as a result of poor management. We are hoping to settle this matter as soon as possible and let the team go, or do you want to pay the bill?” Eutropia Mwanga, who is the hotel manager, had told Nairobi News on phone.
Leopards assistant treasurer Mungo Stephen confirmed the anomaly, stating that the “issue” was brought about by a misunderstanding over the mode of payment.
“The management rejected our cheque. So we have had to communicate with officials in Nairobi who are clearing the Sh 174,000 bill in bits as we speak,” Stephen, who was the team’s head of delegation to the Coast told Nairobi News.
In the meantime two Nation Media Group journalists were attacked by a group of rowdy youth as they tried to gain access to the hotel to cover the incident.
The duo, name withheld for security reasons, were harassed for only writing negative stories about the club.