By Fredrick Nadulli aka Razor,
Wherever Adel Amrouche goes or whatever he says or does,controversy is never far away.As a matter of fact,it follows him everywhere like his shadow.
The mere mention of his name makes some high ranking Kenyans want to choke over their food.They would do anything to see the back of this Belgian of Arabic descent.
True to his carefree nature,he has stepped on too many toes and does not seem to let up anytime soon.Either he is just misunderstood or he is a man on a self-destruct mission.A real ‘enfant terrible’ so to speak.
CAF AXE
When he assumed the mantle of handling Kenya,he took up the role with gusto.He was a welcome breath of fresh air pumping new life into an otherwise comatose Harambee Stars.He speedily made his mark and turned around the team’s dwindling fortunes.
Until he begun sparring with imaginary opponents in the dark,lost focus and completely went off the rails.His hot temper has stubbornly stuck to him like a smelly skunk.It has got him in trouble many a time.
When he led his team to an international fixture in Maseru,in the words of CAF he ‘brought the game into disrepute’ by spitting at a match official.It was not the first time he was at loggerheads with officialdom.He was infamously banished to the stands in Calabar.The debacle in Lesotho therefore meant he was firmly on CAF’s radar.
He was subsequently banned for twelve months from all football related activities.His erstwhile employers FKF quickly followed up and sacked him.In response,the coach quickly put together a legal team,gathered video evidence and sent through an appeal.It came out in his favour.His lengthy ban was reduced to just six matches.
Now comes the rider.
Adel has taken CAF to the court of arbitration and sport (CAS) pressing for his suspension to be lifted altogether,in a move that could have far reaching consequences.Keen observers will tell you that such a move could be counter-productive.
A bare-knuckled duel with CAF is akin to dicing with death.Adel Amrouche has fought many battles in his eventful sporting life and emerged victor,but this time reports suggest he may have bitten more than he can literally chew.CAF frowns upon being dragged to court to explain its actions and decisions.
The former Kenya tactician may just have jumped from the frying pan to the proverbial fire.
Along the line of duty,Adel has made too many enemies who may have smelled blood and are probably working overtime to finally robe him of the sacrificial gown.
His (mis)advisers perhaps got it dead wrong this time round.Dragging CAF to CAS has rubbed in their nose and they will be itching to get even,if not worse.
(Un)knowingly the ever crafty Belgian may just have set himself up for the slaughter.
N/B The writer is a former Kenyan International.
