NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 23 – Football Kenya Federation CEO, Barry Otiono says he will comply with the decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to ban him for six-months from all football activities for going against CAF statutes and COVID-19 rules.
Otieno alongside the Harambee Stars Team Manager, Ronny Oyando were on Saturday slapped with the ban and fined Sh2.2 million (USD 20,000) for disputing the COVID-19 results in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifier away in Comoros after four of the Harambee Stars players turned positive.
It is alleged that Otieno and Oyendo immediately snatched the results and tore them apart in an incidence that saw the match commissioner allow the match to go on.
“On the day of the match the General Secretary of the Comoros Football Federation came in early to take their PCR tests, and he was met with refusal from the Kenyan national team’s management, they delayed the process for three hours until they finally gave in,” CAF said it its ruling.
“The test results arrived just a few minutes before Kick-off, during warm-up, due to the said delay. The Commissioner did not get the chance to check the results himself as Mr. Barry Otieno, the General Secretary of the Kenyan Football Federation and Mr. Ronny Oyando, the Kenyan Team Manager disputed the results as soon as they have become aware of them and snatched them from his hands and tore them apart.”
“According to the PCR tests copies that were acquired after the match, four players have all tested positive before the match yet took part in the game and risked the contamination of the opposing team as well as their fellow teammates and all officials that were involved in match 94 of the Total African Cup of Nations Qualifiers.”
In its ruling, CAF, stated that the Football Kenya Federation officials put other players on risk by allowing the four players to play in the match that Kenya went on to lose 2-1.
In his defence, Otieno said, “I have just learnt about the allegations and will be consulting internally on the next steps. Nonetheless, I wish to state that everyone who was present, during the incident, including the Match Commissioner, know that what has been alleged is not true. That notwithstanding, CAF has made a decision and as a member we will comply with it,” Otieno said.
