By Gilbert Wandera

Harambee Stars lead striker Dennis Oliech has been quietly dropped from the national team ahead of Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Tunisia.

This emerged only on Tuesday when the striker said his club has not received a letter requesting for his release a day after the team left for Tunis.

Oliech said: "I cannot make it for the Tunisia match because Football Kenya has not sent a letter to my club requesting for my release."

He added: Auxerre have said it is too late now and they cannot release me to honour the game."

The striker is now scheduled to travel with his club to Switzerland tomorrow afternoon for a friendly match.

The decision by coach Antoine Hey seems to have caught Football Kenya and other officials by surprise as none of them was aware.

Denis Oliech: He has been dropped from the national team ahead of Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Tunisia. Photo: File/Standard

Football Kenya chairman Mohammed Hatimy said: "The issue of writing release letters to foreign clubs is a matter for the secretariat and technical bench. I have not been around and cannot say for sure whether the letter was sent."

Harambee Stars team manager Edward Oduor was equally unaware of the development.

Oduor who joins the team in Tunisia on Wednesday said the coach was solely responsible in deciding who gets called-up for Sunday’s clash.

He said: "I personally was not in camp when the coach announced his final squad and if Oliech’s club has not received a letter requesting for his release then it means he is not in our plans."

Hey’s decision to drop Oliech may not have come as a surprise. Before the last qualifier match against Mozambique away, the player expressed fears that he was going to be dropped after the coach refused to commit whether he was needed.

It took the intervention of top FKL officials for Oliech to be called up for the match.

The France-based striker has never had a great working relationship with Hey ever since he was hired six months ago.

Oliech was the only player who condemned the sacking of former coach Francis Kimanzi and threatened that he would not play under Hey.

In June, Oliech was substituted, the first time in three years, against Mozambique at home something that he did not appear happy with.

Apart from the frosty relationship with Hey, Oliech’s form has also dipped of late.