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Mwendwa: We have ‘cleared’ Amrouche debt

July 2nd, 2021 2 min read

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) says it has cleared former Harambee Stars coach Adel Amrouche’s Sh89 million debt.

FKF boss Nick Mwendwa confirmed the development on Friday, July 2, 2021, in an online interview with Tikitaka.

“We have settled Amrouche. We have told Fifa to settle him (from the grants payable to us). So it is up to him to work out the rest with Fifa. I am told he wanted the money sent somewhere else but Fifa has refused,” said Mwendwa.

If indeed the Belgian trainer has been paid, it opens up the way for the Kenya national football team, commonly referred to as Harambee Stars, to compete in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Fifa, football’s world governing body, had earlier warned that Kenya will be banned from competing in the qualification matches if Amrouche is not paid his dues, amounting to Sh89 million, and in full, before or on June 30, 2021.

Amrouche was unavailable for comment.

Kenya has been pooled alongside Uganda, Rwanda, and Mali, as it bids to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Amrouche who recently coached in Botswana managed Kenya between 2012 and 2013 and is remembered for among others winning the 2013 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Nairobi, and masterminding a 1-1 draw away to Nigeria in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.

But he unceremoniously left the role, and successfully sued FKF at Fifa for unlawful termination, where he was awarded Sh60 million.

FKF appealed the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), only to lose the case and slapped with a Sh109 million bill including interest and damages.

Besides Amrouche, Mwendwa also confirmed FKF had paid Bobby Williamson Sh15 million as ordered by the Employment and Labour court in Nairobi.

Williamson, also a former Stars coach, successfully sued FKF for unlawful termination and was awarded Sh58 million.