The protracted dispute between Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) side Sofapaka and defender Michael Kibwage could end this coming week as the hearing for the case presented at the Sports Dispute Tribunal (SDT) is set for Thursday 19 October.The defender who joined Batoto ba Mungu at the start of the 2020/2021 season from KCB had earlier expressed his desire to terminate his contract with Sofapaka after reportedly going for four months without receiving his salary.Kibwage divorcing Sofapaka after enduring four months without salaryHowever, upon alerting the club of his intention to leave on the Bosman rule, hell broke loose as Sofapaka refused to let go of one of their most priced signing, forcing the player to seek justice at the conflict tribunal, a path he had not intended to take.“Football is meant to bring us together and when two parties can no longer work together then it’s important to part ways amicably. I want to leave Sofapaka in a good way because you never know, we could work together again but for now, all I want is for them to release me so that I can pursue other things. I do not intend to use legal channels and a process that will result in bad blood between me and the team,” the player told Mozzart Sport in a previous interview.Preparations have hit top gear! It doesn’t matter if you are knocked down, all that matters is whether you get up. On to the next one against Kariobangi Sharks. #RuthlessDetermination #Mk12 pic.twitter.com/G8XohO6Wgx— Michael Kibwage 12 (@12Kibwage) December 18, 2020 When push came to shove, the case was brought to the attention of the Player Status Committee wing of Football Kenya Federation and further taken to the Sports Disputes Tribunal’s door much to the detriment of the player who is said to have missed on the opportunity of turning professional as a South African club had reportedly expressed interest in his services.Still, the club was not willing to let go of the Harambee Stars defender as they distanced themselves from Kibwage’s claims with club president Elly Kalekwa stating that the player will only be released under certain conditions that must be met which included paying back the sign-on fees.“We spent millions to acquire his signature and his monthly salary but he didn’t serve us as expected. He will only get his release letter if he pays us back. He still has a contract with us and we are open to having him back to the squad if he asks for forgiveness, after all we are a family,” Kalekwa said.🔵Update 🗞️We wish to distance ourselves from news doing round in the social media about skipper Michael Kibwage.We wish to confirm that Kibwage has a valid contract that runs out in October 2022 and therefore is a bonified Sofapaka player until proven otherwise@OyandoRonny pic.twitter.com/g5qoirsDmW— Sofapaka FC (@FC_Sofapaka) August 10, 2021
