Kenya's Head Coach Boycotts Trip To Nigeria

Kenya’s national team’s showdown against Nigeria was this morning thrown into a spin after the Harambee Stars' head coach, Antoine Hey, failed to accompany the squad he had selected the previous day to Abuja, Nigeria, for Sunday's crunch match against the Super Eagles.

Hey arrived at the airport 30 minutes after the plane had taken off, alleging that he had been held up in the traffic; but he later revealed that he deliberately boycotted travelling with the team after Football Kenya Limited failed to pay him his salary.

The team's physical trainer, Kamal Harat also joined the head coach in the boycott over non-payment of their salaries. The assistant coach Swaleh Muhiddin had left for Nigeria earlier in the week, and will now possibly handle the team in the absence of Hey, who was appointed in February this year.

His short tenure has been blighted by turf wars with premier league clubs, which have almost derailed the national team’s preparations for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Since he was appointed, Harambee Stars have only played one international match - against Tunisia in March - which they lost 2-1.

The boycott came hot on heels of the players also boycotting training on Tuesday, demanding to be paid their allowances after staying in the camp for three weeks.

But yesterday the government, through the Minister of Youth and Sports Hellen Sambili, settled their allowance claims by presenting Kshs. 2.7 million to Harambee Stars captain Musa Otieno.

There has been confusion as to who is in charge of the national team. While FKL as the football governing body, should take charge of the team, its mandate has been taken over by the Harambee Stars Management Board chaired by Hussein Mohammed, who was present when the minister presented the money to the team captain.

The Kenyan squad that left for Nigeria this morning was led by Hussein Mohammed, FKL second vice-chairman Erastus Okul. The other top FKL officials are attending the FIFA Congress in Nassau, Bahamas.