Match fixing: Mathare dropped Owino

Mathare United FC's George Owino (left) is challenged by Kennedy Ayako of Wazito FC during KPL match at Camp Toyoyo on Saturday April 21, 2018. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

George Owino, the player at the centre of match fixing storm is no longer a Mathare United player.

The premier league club made the decision to drop the former defender on December 13 after football’s world governing body Fifa informed them of a damning report they were compiling on his involvement in match fixing.

In an email on the night of December 13, Mathare United chairman Bob Munro informed coach Francis Kimanzi to drop the player a few hours before the team was supposed to travel for a league match.

He wrote: “Just before going to bed tonight, I decided to check the Fifa dossier on George Owino and found the attached report.

“I should have waited until tomorrow morning as the report made such shocking and sad reading it will now be difficult to sleep.

“The evidence includes e-mails from George confirming instructions and money sent to him from one of the world’s most notorious match-fixers, Wilson Raj Perumal.

“I hope George is not in the travelling team leaving tomorrow morning because, as you’ll read, he cannot and must not be fielded by our club in any future matches.

“If he is travelling, please replace him with another player immediately.” And that way, Owino’s tenure at Mathare United ended.