FKF hits back at coach Put: Football Kenya Federation rebuttal reveals behind-the-scenes sparring with ex-Stars boss

Kenya Coach Paul Put places training material on the artificial turf in Kisumu as he took his Players through a training secession ahead of their semifinal clash against Burundi, the squad was training at the Kisumu's Moi Stadium. [Phillip Orwa, Standard]
 

National federation accuses former Harambee Stars coach of failing to disclose real reason he quit and why he can't travel to Belgium to renew passport.

Football Kenya Federation has lifted the lid on the reasons former Harambee Stars coach Paul Put left the top job 74 days into the task.

The Belgian has since been unveiled as Guinea's national team coach.

In a bare-knuckled rebuttal to the Belgian’s claims that FKF let him down, the national FA has hit out at the former Burkina Faso coach for failing to disclose a pending conviction or court case in his country.

FKF announced on February 19 that the Belgian had resigned for 'personal reasons'.

However, Put’s comments in an interview with the Daily Nation on Friday have rubbed FKF the wrong way, prompting a bazooka kind of rebuttal.

“It is regrettable that the coach has shifted the basis of his resignation to include a number of false accusations towards the Government of Kenya and the national federation,” FKF said in a statement signed by its communications manager, Barry Otieno.

“He wanted to be issued with a Kenyan passport as he could not travel to Belgium, where he has a pending conviction/court case and needed a new passport to enable him to travel as his current one was almost filled up,” FKF said.

According to Put, he wanted a service passport like the one he had in Burkina Faso

“In Africa, federations give service contracts to players and technical bench to avoid visa hitches because you travel a lot. So I asked if Kenya offers such services but I was never given an answer,” Put told the Daily Nation in reference to his Burkina Faso service passport.

In its own defence, FKF said: “It was not possible to facilitate the issuance of a Kenyan passport for the coach as that is a prerogative of the Government.” FKF’s scathing attack on Put’s comments point to a significant point of departure with the former coach.

“Mr Put’s comments are misleading and further point to the unprofessional conduct he has adopted after his resignation. He wanted the federation to organise all national team friendlies through his agent, a Mr Abraham Sidibe at a cost of $30,000 (Sh3 million) per match. The federation feels the coach has broken the trust, professionalism, and duty entrusted by the federation on him,” FKF said.

“The proposal was not agreed to as it was deemed to be expensive and of no value since the federation had already established contacts with most football associations, thus capable of organising friendlies without having to pay the match agent that is not accredited by Fifa.”

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