Reports by English publication the ECHO linking Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga to Everton might just be that at the moment, a pipe dream.At the moment, the Kenyan international cannot secure a direct move to play in the most elite league, arguably, thanks to his Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) points score, of 10.GBE is a points-based system that the English FA uses to gauge the eligibility of foreign players to feature for an English Premier League (EPL) team or a team in the English Football Leagues (EFL)Apart from the likes of Clarke Oduor and Jonah Ayunga who have an auto pass, Joseph Okumu is the only Kenya eligible to play in the EPL or in an EFL team thanks to his score of 20 out of a possible 65. Victor Wanyama, former Southampton and Tottenham midfielder, has a score of 11 and would be subjected to the exceptions panel.##NAJAVA_MECA_7306522##Olunga, whose contract at Qatar’s Al Duhail is coming to an end, has been linked with moves to Turkey (Galatasaray and Fenerbahce) and recently Netherlands (Utrecht), two leagues that would bridge the gap for Olunga to play in the EPL in future perhaps.But Olunga falls short on this front. his GBE score is 10 and unlikely that a move would go through, but not impossible.In the amended GBE rules that took effect after Brexit, male players aged over 21 years are required to score a total of 15 points across six categories. The categories include international appearances, player’s domestic minutes, player’s continental minutes, final league position of the player’s last club, continental progression of the player’s last club, and the quality of the transferor club.For players who score between 10 and 14, the club seeking to sign such a player can appeal the Exceptions Panel to accord such a player GBE if they can convince the panel that the player had exceptional circumstances which prevented him from achieving 15 points. The exception can also be granted if they can ascertain that the player shows significant potential and is of sufficient quality to enhance the development of the game in England.From the above categories, the maximum points that Olunga could have scored while playing for Al Duhail would be 11, assuming that Duhail went to the final of the AFC Champions League but they were eliminated in the semis which saw him drop a point.His total from the just-ended campaign summed to 10 points, a score not enough to see him granted a GBE. This also puts into consideration that the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches that Kenya should have played against Cameroon (2), Namibia, and Burundi (2), are not included in the calculation of his international appearances in the past two years, otherwise, the total score drops to just eight.The 29-year-old earned maximum points for minutes played both in domestic matches and continental matches in the bands where Qatar Stars League and the AFC Champions League fall respectively. For reaching the semifinals of the AFC Champions League, he claimed one out of the possible two points and a further two points for the general quality of the league.Could Harambee Stars skipper be heading to Netherlands?The English FA ranks different leagues across the world in different ‘Bands’ from 1 to 6. Band 1 leagues include the English Premier League, the Bundesliga, the La Liga, the Serie A, and Ligue 1. Portuguese Primeira Liga, Eredivisie, Belgian First Division A, the Turkish Super Lig, and the English Championship make up Band 2 leagues while the Russian Premier League, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Primera División of Argentina, Liga MX, and the Scottish Premiership are considered Band 3.Band 4 leagues include the Czech First League, Croatian First Football League, the Swiss Super League, La Liga 2, Bundesliga 2, Ukrainian Premier League, the Greek Superleague, the Colombian Categoría Primera A, the USA’s Major League Soccer, the Austrian Football Bundesliga, and Ligue 2 with Serbian SuperLiga, the Danish Superliga, the Polish Ekstraklasa, the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the Chilean Primera División, the Uruguayan Primera División, and the Chinese Super League form Band 5 leagues.All the other leagues not included in the above are considered Band 6 Leagues and carry the least points, a maximum of two. The Qatari Stars League falls in this category.A similar approach is used to rank the continental competitions when checking for points accrued from continental appearances and progression.The UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores form Band 1 while the Europa League, the Europa Conference League, and the Copa Sudamerica form Band 2. The remaining continental competitions that are not classified as Band 1 or 2 above, are classified as Band 3 and this includes those organized by the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, and OFC. Again, the AFC Champions League where Olunga played falls in this lowest band.Players from countries in the top 50 of FIFA rankings qualify for an auto pass provided they play a certain percentage of the international matches that their country engages in for the two years before the transfer for seniors, and the past 12 months for players under 21 years. Kenya is ranked at position 102 according to the latest release by FIFA in April 2023.
