Five Kenyan players contracted to Tanzanian second-tier side Fountain Gate have accused the club of not honoring their contracts and neglecting them. The five – Kelvin Mwavali, Kevin Sagida (from Vihiga United), Joshua Maroa, Wycliffe Kabaji (from Vihiga Bullets) and Dennis Wanyoike (from Terror Squad) all joined the club in July in two-year contracts. Things were rosy initially as they worked on settling in a new country and club but took a turn when the club informed them they could not secure their work permits as some of them did not have valid passports. Three players who had traveled to Tanzania with temporary documents, came back to Kenya and secured valid passports. On returning to Tanzania, things never got better as the club now said they had to secure their work permits yet the club had agreed to take care of that according to Sos Lukio from Knuckleball Sports, the agency that worked on their transfer to the club. He also reveals the players have not been paid since September to date and have also been withdrawn from training sessions. Why David Majak has been ghosting Tusker“The club has turned around on most of its promises and contractual obligations. All the players have never received their transfer fees as agreed and have not been paid for close to three months now. They have also been sidelined from training sessions and are obviously very frustrated,” Lukio told Mozzart Sport, “The players had their documents confiscated by immigration officials in the presence of club officials, they no longer have training kits and we generally feel that the club itself is just intentionally frustrating the players,” he added. Thabit Kondo, the club’s CEO, however refutes claims that the players have been mistreated and claims that registration of the players with the Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) has proven to be a hard nut to crack. “Fountain Gate is a respected education institution besides having several football teams. We have Kenyan teachers and staff working in various capacities and therefore the allegations that the Kenyan players have been mistreated are misplaced and not true,” Thabit told Mozzart Sport,##NAJAVA_MECA_6827621##“We have seven foreigners in our senior men’s team. Five are Kenyans, one is Egyptian and other is a player who has been in the club for over half a decade. We have not been able to register all of them this season since the federation changed rules and we are trying to comply with their demands. It has not been easy,” he added. Kenya Footballers Welfare Association (KEFWA) Chairman James Situma reveals he has reached out to the club on several occasions to find a solution to the impasse. The club initially was willing to release the players and pay out the pending signing fees and one-year arrears but have since gone mute. “We are left with no option but to report the club to CAF and FIFA through our lawyers.” Situma says. Reliable sources indicate that the coach has already informed the club’s bosses that the five Kenyan players are not in his plans.
