FIFA threatens to sanction Auxerre's Oliech
Reuters - Thursday 19 April 2012, 10:36
World football's ruling body
FIFA has threatened to sanction Kenya's top player Dennis Oliech
over his decision to pull out of the national team.
Oliech, who plays for French Ligue 1 side AJ Auxerre and is
the captain of the east African country's national team,
Harambee Stars, pulled out of the team preparing for a World Cup
qualifier against Togo on June 16.
Oliech is demanding an unspecified amount of money because
his picture was used by sponsors of the local federation in a
billboard advertisement.
The sponsors, East African Breweries Limited, and the
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) have said the player is not
entitled to any payment as the terms of the sponsorship did not
include that provision.
"The contract allowed the sponsors to use the national team
pictures for promotional purposes. But we are now renegotiating
to come up with a win-win situation for the players and the
sponsors," said FKF Chairman Sam Nyamweya.
FIFA's Director of Legal Affairs, Marco Villiger, said in a
statement to FKF that the player was liable for disciplinary
action if he snubbed a national team call-up.
"As a general rule, every player registered with a club is
obliged to respond affirmatively when called up by the
association he is eligible to represent on the basis of his
nationality to play for one of its representative teams,"
Villiger said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Violations of the provisions set forth in Annexe 1 of the
FIFA rule may lead to the imposition of disciplinary measures."
Another Kenyan top player MacDonald Mariga, who plays for
Italian Serie A side Parma, has fallen out with the Kenyan
federation over the unpaid reimbursement of more than one
million shillings ($12,000) for air travel he used to join up
with the national side.