NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 16 – Kenyan international Rooney Onyango was not part of the Gor Mahia squad that was named to travel to Juba, South Sudan, ahead of their CAF Champions League preliminary round match against home side Al Merrikh Bentiu on Sunday.
The absence of the dependable wingback opened a can of worms and it is then that it was relieved his passport was among four that were detained at the Italian embassy due to alleged forgery.
According to sources, Onyango, who has enjoyed a breakthrough year with the national team, was among four players who were set to fly out to Italy for trials with unnamed sides.
However, according to the Football Kenya Federation, the four, who also include Onyango’s teammate at Gor Musa Masika, Bandari midfielder Shariff Majabe and Ben Stanley, used a fake signature in one of their letters to the embassy.
“Four players, namely Ben Stanley, Ronney Onyango, Musa Masika and Shariff Majabe used a forged federation letterhead and the FKF CEO’s signature to apply for Visas at the Italian Embassy. As a result, the said players’ passports have been retained at the Embassy,” a statement from the Federation read.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that a former player currently residing abroad and an NSL club official and/or their agents are behind the forged FKF documentation and the Visa applications. The federation has formally initiated internal disciplinary proceedings against the individuals believed to have forged the FKF documents used in the Visa application,” FKF further stated.
However, they said that they are actively engaging the Italian embassy to find a truce and release the documents to the players, with Rooney expected to play a crucial role for Gor in their quest for the group stages of the Champions League.
