Kenya: AFC Leopards players go on strike

By John Ashihundu

AFC Leopards management has blamed senior players after the team boycotted training on Tuesday demanding to be paid their salaries.

Contacted, the club treasurer Maurice Chichi confirmed the office had not paid the January salaries only and not two months, adding that they were processing the payments when they learned of unrest in the team.

"We have settled all winning allowances together with previous salary arrears. AFC Leopards is among the few FKF-PL teams that are regularly paying salaries although late. Majority of teams in the league are more than three months in arrears," he said.

He said the club management is investigating the source of the unrest in the team to take action.

Another source close to the team said the club could be forced make changes in the line-up following allegations that few players are planning to throw away Friday's match against Bandari in Mombasa.

These allegations come barely two days following reports hat the club's former assistant coach Anthony Kimani has linked up with Bandari in the same capacity.

Kimani , who left Ingwe last week after acting as an interim coach on two separate occasions , is set to will be deputise Casa Mbungom whom they worked at te Den.

The match-fixing claims come barely a month afer a Ugandan national was arrested in Kisumu on suspicion that he had attempted to bribe the Western Stima playing unit to lose their match against Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB).

Similar allegations have now emerged at Leopards with senior players said to be at the center of the vice.

A senior player close to Kimani is alleged to have tried to influence a few other players to stage a protest against Kimani's departure after the hiring of Patrick Aussems.

This article was originally published by Daily Nation. [Photo: Nation Media Group]