This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
Published on September 11, 2019
Police Harassment Forces Northern Wanderers Players to Flee Training Camp ¶
Five professional footballers from the Northern Wanderers team have fled their training camp in Nairobi, citing continuous police harassment as the reason for their departure.
The players, who were relocated to Nairobi after Football Kenya Federation failed to find a standard field in Northern Kenya, have been subjected to multiple police raids on their residence in Buruburu.
According to team manager Noordin Babel, the players have been experiencing home ground disadvantage rather than a home ground advantage, which he believes could have been avoided had they settled in Nairobi and felt at home.
As quoted by Nation Sport, Babel stated that the team's run of poor results could have been avoided had they settled in Nairobi and felt at home. He termed the continuous harassment of the players by police as the reason behind the poor results.
The players were forced to pitch camp in Nairobi after Football Kenya Federation failed to find a standard field in Northern Kenya where they would host some matches. The relocation was facilitated by the team's financiers, including National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale, who rented a six-bedroom house in Buruburu to accommodate the players.
The Northern Wanderers have only played two matches in the NSL, losing both of them. The team is currently last on the NSL table after playing two matches.
