Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula has called on Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards to learn from the decision by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to kick out K’Ogalo from the Champions League and stop signing “gold diggers” in the name of coaches and players.
The Kenyan champions will not get the chance to represent the country despite winning the FKF Premier League title last season after they failed to pay former players – Congolese striker Yangayay Sando Sando, Burundian attacker Jules Ulimwengu, and Malian goalkeeper Adama Keita – their accrued dues from salaries and allowances as ordered by the world governing body Fifa.
The decision to punish K’Ogalo, who were lining up for continental return after two seasons in the cold alongside Homeboyz, who have been cleared for the Confederation Cup, has irked Shimanyula, who has taken issues with the scouting criteria of two of Kenya’s biggest clubs in history.
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“I am really mad at what has happened to Gor Mahia, and you cannot blame FKF on this, it is very hurting that Homeboyz will not be able to represent Kenya alongside Gor Mahia, it was my dream to go for Caf action with Gor, but it is unfortunate they are now out just because of signing foreign players, who end up giving them no value,” said Shimanyula, adding: “This needs to be a good lesson to Gor and especially AFC, they need to do away with the appetite of signing foreign players and coaches because they end up hurting them more than they get from them season in season out.”
Shimanyula continued: “Now look, Homeboyz won the FKF Cup with a local coach while AFC Leopards finished the season without a trophy under a foreign coach, and the same coach has now taken AFC to FIFA demanding Ksh18million, it is time our top teams borrowed a leaf from what Homeboyz and other teams in the league do.”
The Kakamega-based businessman further urged Gor and AFC to go hunting in Tanzania, Uganda, or Rwanda if their problem was to have foreign players and coaches in their squads.
“It is not a must we go for these foreigners outside our region, they are all gold diggers coming to make money (without performing) and then go, we have a crop of good players in Uganda and even Tanzania who can play very well in the Kenyan league and produce positive results, why can’t AFC and Gor sign them? Must they go for foreigners beyond the region to be their coaches?
“At Homeboyz, the far we have gone to sign a foreigner is in Uganda and Tanzania, and you can never see us complaining. We have already been cleared to play in Caf. The worst number of foreign players we can have at Homeboyz is two, otherwise, we also have good talent in Kenya and that is where we get most of our players.”
The outspoken Shimanyula sent an appeal to Gor Mahia to fire their current coach Johnathan McKinstry and put faith in a local one, insisting he will be the next one to take them to Fifa and Caf over unpaid wages.
“I want to ask Gor Mahia to sack their coach (Johnathan McKinstry), I am even ready to pay for his ticket back home, we cannot tolerate this issue of some foreigners (players and coaches) tormenting our clubs, enough is enough, we need to focus on our very own,” concluded Shimanyula.
Homeboyz have been included in the list of 52 teams ahead of the Confederation Cup draw set for Tuesday.