Kenya has lost its case against former national football team coach Adel Amrouche and has up to Oct. 19 to pay him 1.08 million U.S. dollars in compensation.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa has confirmed the East African country lost the appeal launched at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
"It's true CAS has awarded Amrouch 860,000 dollars and an additional 22,000 dollars as cost for the case. We have to pay this amount by Oct. 19," said Mwendwa on Thursday in Nairobi.
Amrouche was sacked in August 2014 after he had been banned for a year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for spitting on a referee when he was the head coach of Harambee Stars.
Kenya was playing away in Comoros. Kenya could not wait for his appeal, which he had launched with CAF.
Amrouche appeal was lifted by CAF and it is then that he headed to World Soccer governing body FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chambers in search of justice and CAS.
The Belgian demanded 1.30 million dollars as compensation, which was equal to the remainder of the five-year contract which he had running until 2019.
Should Kenya fail to remit the amount, FIFA may opt to withhold its grant to the country or lock it out of international competition starting with the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which start in November.
Mwendwa said the contract Amrouche signed was made by his predecessors under former president Sam Nyamweya, which favored the coach.
FKF is also engaged in another battle with a former Harambee Stars coach Bobby Williamson from Scotland for wrongful dismissal.
Williamson has filed a petition with Kenyan courts. He was sacked in 2016 and he is seeking 1.05 million dollars from FKF for unlawful termination of services and payments due for the remainder of his contract and damages.
"I will ask FIFA to give us an extension. We are paying for the ills by the former management. I will talk to the government and request they assist us in paying Amrouche. We are also in talks with these two gentlemen with a view to settling this matter amicably," said Mwendwa.
From Kenya, Amrouche moved on to coach Libya national team then Algerian clubs MC Alger and USM Alger. Currently, he is the coach of Botswana national team.
Credit: Xinhuanet