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Fresh twist to Avire’s transfer as Kalekwa demands his release by Egyptian club


John Avire is on the verge of rejoining Sofapaka after transfer talks with Egyptian club Tanta FC hit a snag.

The Kenyan forward is at the centre of a dispute between the Kenyan Premier League side and the Egyptian outfit since July.

He initially attempted to transfer as a free agent claiming the Kenyan club had not paid his salary for three months.

That move failed and Sofapaka – owned by the wily Elly Kalekwa – held out for significant compensation.

This stand-off also cost then Football Kenya Federation CEO Robert Muthomi his job as he was accused of abusing his office by illegally facilitating the player and his agent’s travel to Egypt.

Thereafter, Tanta attempted to negotiate a possible sale, but the parties appear too far apart on the valuation of the player.

“They (Tanta) are not serious in the way they are talking to us, they are talking as if they don’t know how transfers are done and concluded,” Kalekwa told Goal.com

“After engaging us for the last few weeks and now they have not reached what we have asked them to pay, they have resorted to asking us if we can loan out the player to them.

“From the look of things, Tanta don’t have the money, they should release the player to return home. They are simply wasting the time of the player because the window shuts next week.”

Separately, Avire has also been the subject of interest from clubs in South Africa and Zambia.