Goodbye Amrouche? Amrouche's reign in doubt after lengthy ban

FKF President Sam Nyamweya chats with Harambee Stars head coach Adel Amrouche during the air tickets presentation by Fly 540 to Comoros for the return leg of their Africa Cup of Nation qualifiers match this friday.PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO

Coach Adel Amrouche's reign as Harambee Stars tactician may have come to a screeching halt after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced yesterday it has suspended him for one year.
The coach had earlier been slapped with a two-match suspension pending the submission of the matter to the CAF disciplinary board.
The board under the chairmanship of Raymond Hack from South Africa had its sitting last Thursday at CAF headquarters in Cairo and it is here the decision to suspend Amrouche was made after finding him guilty of spitting at a match official.
Amrouche is accused of spitting at the fourth official during Kenya's match against Comoros last month away an offence which saw him get sent off.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) was informed of the decision yesterday by CAF Secretary General Hicham El Amrani.

In its verdict, the board found Amrouche guilty of breaching article 129 (c) of its rules, which provides for a 12-match ban to anyone spitting at a match official.
Amrouche’s ban, however, will not come with any fine.

“The suspension is effective from the first day of the notification namely July 20, 2014,” said El Amrani in the letter to FKF.

The letter further states the decision will be forwarded to world governing body Fifa, which may extend the sanction internationally. This means Amrouche may be banned from coaching any team anywhere in the world during the period of the suspension.
“The decision can be contested before the CAF Appeal Board. The party intending to appeal shall announce this intention in writing within three days of notification of the decision,” the letter from CAF adds.

FKF had earlier appealed against the two-match suspension slapped on Amrouche arguing that the coach never spat on the match official and accused the official of lying in its report.
Contacted for comment, FKF chairman Sam Nyamweya said he is not aware of the suspension. “It is true we had appealed against the two-match suspension slapped on Amrouche because we felt it was unfair. We are still waiting for an answer from CAF on the matter,” said Nyamweya.

Amrouche was hired last year in February, taking over from Frenchman Henri Michel, who quit after barely seven months into his 13-month contract.

The Belgian previously handled Burundi before coming to Nairobi and is credited with laying a firm foundation that helped the country qualify for last year’s Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) finals in South Africa.