Harambee Stars players are up in arms demanding for unpaid allowances after taking part in the recent two FIFA international friendlies against Iraq and Thailand.
A few have been ejected from the team’s WhatsApp group for being “overly activists” and uncompromising.
“We are being victimized for demanding for what is duly ours” one ejected player confided in Soka25east.
Football Kenya Federation media officer Barry Otieno says no player was kicked out of the group, instead it was deleted all together after serving its purpose, which is easy communication during camp.
“It’s a normal practice for us to delete the team’s WhatsApp group after every assignment because no player is guaranteed a call up in the next window,” Barry said.
Stars lost to Iraq 2-1 before falling to Thailand 1-0 last week during the FIFA window.
According FKF President Nick Mwendwa the players are merely being incited because of falsehoods and nothing is out of control.
“We paid them about fifteen thousand each and promised to clear the rest during the next camp. This is how we have being doing it because we have other obligations and we have always kept our word so we are surprised by the latest grandstanding,”
“We don’t have the resources to clear everything as per now, but we have pledged to do so when we get the money, it is how we have been doing it and they have always understood our situation,” Nick said.
He added: “It is because of the rumors that we were paid a lot of money in appearance fee to play Iraq and Thailand, so the players think we are withholding their money when we have it,”
“Kenya’s ranking (88) does not allow for payment of appearance fee, Iraq and Thailand only paid the cost for a contingent of 25 and we had to foot the bill for the remaining four,” Nick explained.
The players expected a minimum of about Kshs 60,000 each from the federation.
Rumors had it that Iraq, apart from covering the cost of the whole trip, paid $35,000 appearance fees to FKF.
It is the first time during Nick’s reign that issues of unpaid allowances has cropped up.
Meanwhile Nick has maintained that the head coach Stanley Okumbi is not facing the axe any soon.
“We never said that AFCON 2019 was our main priority, our major focus is developing youth structures from the grassroots. It is the only way to future success,” he added.
