This archive report was first published on 18 May 2020.
On May 18, 2020, Fifa is set to review a long-standing dispute between Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and Adel Amrouche, a former coach of the Kenyan national senior football team, Harambee Stars. The Algerian-born Belgian coach won a Sh109 million award, including accrued interest and costs, in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as compensation for unfair dismissal by FKF in 2014.
Amrouche was serving a six-month ban imposed by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) for allegedly spitting on a match official in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match between Kenya and Comoros. Despite this, he was not paid his dues, a matter he successfully pursued at Fifa and in the CAS.
FKF has thrice appealed to Fifa to extend the deadline for compensating Amrouche, with an extension granted on all three occasions. However, the federation defaulted on the payment every time an extension was granted, with the latest deadline lapsing on April 24.
Severe punishment awaits Kenya should it fail to comply with the CAS directive to compensate the coach. The country could be expelled from the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers. FKF officials found to have failed in their responsibility must not be let to go scot-free.
