The Belgium-based star welcomes the FKF move to halt possible sanctions from Fifa and says they are ready to make history
Kenya international Johanna Omollo has revealed his excitement after Kenya avoided a possible Fifa sanction which could have seen them miss out on the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) were facing possible sanctions from the world governing body after they failed to pay former coach Adel Amrouche a fine of sh109million as ordered by a court in Zurich for wrongful dismissal.
The Court of Arbitration for Sports made their ruling, awarding Amrouche Kes108,194,863, in September 2019, and in December 2019, the FKF was again ordered to pay the Botswana head coach a further Kes1,181,511, which brought the amount to Kes109,376,374.
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However, despite the case being re-submitted for evaluation by the Fifa Disciplinary Committee after the FKF failed to honour the initial deadline that given for payment, the FKF moved quickly to strike a deal with the coach and now Kenya will face no sanctions from Fifa.
Goal exclusively reported last week that Kenya will now take part in the qualifiers after reaching an agreement with the Belgian-born coach.
It is this news that has left Omollo enthusiastic, insisting they are looking forward to making history by qualifying for the finals to be staged in Qatar.
“We are really looking forward to this competition. It is a dream and we stand to create some history if we qualify because it will be the first time Kenya is playing at the World Cup,” Omollo, who is based in Belgium, is quoted by Nairobi News.
“We have some momentum and confidence after playing at the [2019] Africa Nations Cup. We also posted draws against Egypt and Togo. These are seasoned sides.”
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Omollo has also been leading from the front to help Kenyans who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. On Saturday, he helped donate foodstuffs to 300 vulnerable families in his native Dandora Estate, courtesy of the Johanna Omollo Foundation.
“I’m always motivated to share the little that I have with the people in Dandora, that’s where I come from. I’m encouraged that the government and other stakeholders are also doing their bit,” Omollo continued.
Kenya, led by coach Francis Kimanzi, are pooled in Group E and will take on Mali, Uganda, and Rwanda in the second round of the qualifiers. Only the winner of the group will be guaranteed a place in the final phase of the qualifiers.
