IDCC gives AFC until Monday to settle with axed players

The Independent Disciplinary and Complaints Committee (IDCC) has given AFC Leopards until Monday to resolve their dispute with players suing the club for wrongful dismissal.

A number of axed players moved to IDCC- the disputes body set up by the Kenyan Premier League (KPL)- on Wednesday seeking redress after being sacked from The Den by Belgian coach, Ivan Minnaert.

Speaking to Citizen Digital on Thursday, Kenya Footballers Welfare Association (Kefwa) chairman, Innocent Mutiso, who are acting on behalf of the aggrieved players said they were waiting for the club’s next move.

“If they are not going to agree amicably, we will return to the IDCC. We have not given them a deadline and its up to them to decide on the solution. It’s not a matter of Leopards only, we also have Muhoroni Youth who dismissed three players and three other teams,” the former Gor Mahia player added.

Leopard’s co-chairman, Dan Mule, accused ‘rivals’ of being behind the move terming the development as ‘blackmail’ ahead of the July 3 club elections.

He disclosed the players were given notice as per KPL contract laws after he appeared before IDCC that ruled the parties should settle the matter outside the court and communicate their decision on Monday.

“It’s clear that as long we give players a one month notice then they can be dropped from the club. Somebody has misadvised players to go to court without knowing we had issued them notice early May,” the official told Citizen Digital.

“Some of them stopped coming for training immediately after even though some of them got notice as late as May 18. We will compensate them,” Mule added.

He affirmed Ingwe players have been getting their salaries on time and there would be no difficulties in settling those affect by the cull.

Organising Secretary Peter Lichungu echoed Mule’s sentiments saying the players should have first gone through the KPL laws on contract termination.

“We want to clean up the team and those who have not been performing should just walk out quietly as per the notice. It’s a small matter and nothing more.

“We will sit down with them to figure out the days they attended training even after getting the dismissal notice and compensate accordingly,” he stressed.

Report by Godfrey Ashiali