Harambee Stars defender Aboud Omar has blamed both the team’s captain Victor Wanyama and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) for the circus surrounding the delayed payment of allowances accrued from participation at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Almost a year down the line, Stars players are yet to receive their Sh250,000 winning bonus each following the win against Tanzania at the continental showpiece in Egypt.
DELAYED PAYMENTS
Meanwhile, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed and FKF president Nick Mwendwa have publicly blamed one another on who is to blame for the delayed payments.
And now the outspoken Omar, who has been based in Europe for the past five years, has had his say on the matter.
“I like speaking the truth, so first I think the team captain Victor (Wanyama) didn’t handle the situation properly,” Omar told Madgoat TV.
“He was the one who negotiated for the bonuses and allowances with the federation on behalf of the players. But he was not clear on what had been agreed upon and the timelines for the payments. It caused some bit of confusion,” Omar said.
CHALLENGES IN EUROPE
“Infact, there are some other fringe players like Atudo (Joackins) who helped the team qualify for the tournament but did not receive the Sh50 million bonus which was donated to the team by Deputy President William Ruto. We had to intervene for that to be paid.
“While we were in France (for preparations ahead of the Nations Cup) the federation officials told us we will be paid our bonuses with proceeds from the monies received from the Confederation of African Football. The payments were to be made three months after the tournament. That has not happened and it is not clear why the federation is now asking the government to pay us,” Omar further said.
Omar also lifted the lid on the challenges he has gone through to settle in Europe, including persistent racism subjected at him during his stint in Bulgaria and Greece.
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