•Despite the gravity of the allegations that have tainted his image, Owino was coy about going into the details about what actually transpired that led to the hefty ban
•Owino, however, revealed that he had planned to appeal the ban both at Fifa’s Appeals Committee and at the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) in Switzerland but was held back by the hefty legal fees.
Image: FILE
Imagine being woken up early one morning to a number of distressing phone calls and messages that essentially end your career.
That is the cruel experience that former Harambee Stars defender George Owino had to endure in January last year as he was about to travel with his Mathare United teammates for a Kenyan Premier League match away to Nzoia United.
“Like in normal preparations, I slept early so that I could wake up early for our trip to Western. On waking up and looking at my phone, I saw a number of missed calls and then a number of messages including an SMS from Mathare CEO Jackton Obure telling me I had been taken off the travelling party,” narrated Owino.
“I was stunned because I had been included in the travelling squad the previous day. Instantly, I knew something was amiss,” he continued.
Something was not only amiss, but a staggering report had also been shared between Football Kenya Federation and Owino’s club Mathare United to the effect that the defender had been banned by Fifa over allegations of match-fixing involving him and high-profile international match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal.
According to Fifa, Owino in communications with the convicted Perumal conspired to manipulate and influence the result of up to 14 international matches involving Kenya.
“I first learnt about the issue (match-fixing investigations) in 2015 when someone from Fifa grilled me at the Laico Regency. I thought it was a routine process and forgot about it until when Obure and Mathare United chairman Bob Munro called me to a meeting and in no uncertain terms told me I would no longer be playing for the club,” disclosed the 38-year-old.
Despite the gravity of the allegations that have tainted his image, Owino was coy about going into the details about what actually transpired that led to the hefty ban, the longest ever handed to a Kenyan footballer.
He intimated that his Portugal-based lawyer Felix Majani had to be consulted. Owino, however, revealed that he had planned to appeal the ban both at Fifa’s Appeals Committee and at the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) in Switzerland but was held back by the hefty legal fees.
“I thought about appealing but the Sh200,000 appeal cost for me was a huge sum and yet the best decision I could get from them was a reduced ban. So I thought with my playing career coming to an end, I would rather invest the money and serve out the ban,” he conceded.
Now, he is shunned by his peers with the revelation that a senior coach warned his players against associating with him.
While the decision to accept his punishment speaks volumes about the innocence or guilt of the defender, it does not paint a full picture of who Owino actually is.
Born and bred in Limuru in Kiambu County as the fifth born in a family of seven children, Owino was always destined to be a sportsman. He was a ballboy at Bata Bullets, a top-flight side in the mid-eighties. This closeness to the football club inevitably saw him unearth hidden talent.
Short stints with Homegrown and Securicor followed before big clubs—Oserian and Tusker—came calling at the start of the millennium.
“Oserian wanted me to join them but Tusker had equally scouted me. Their team manager then Anthony Origi persuaded me to join them and I agreed. My coach at Securicor, Raphael Auka was astounded that I had joined a team that had all players in the national team. He told me to rethink my stance but I was determined to prove myself,” recalled Owino.
Image: ERICK BARASA
Then, the 20-year-old was competing for places in the team with seasoned campaigners like George Waweru, Wycliffe Jumba and Robert Olang among others. However, coach Jacob Ghost Mulee liked his performances in training and handed him a starting berth in the league opener against KCB.
“We won that match 1-0 and my confidence grew. My teammates trusted me and I stayed in Ruaraka until 2004,” he said. A move to Tanzanian giants Simba followed the next season as his career took off at great speed.
“Tanzanians love their football and fans could pay to watch us train. Every session was full to capacity. I think the experience in Tanzania prepared me to play for the national team, Harambee Stars,” he added.
A ban for Kenya football in 2006 saw problems with Owino’s International Transfer Certificate and he was omitted from the Simba squad. Luckily, the ban did not last long and Serbian coach Milutin Micho took him to St. George’s in Ethiopia on a six-month probation contract.
By 2008, he was good enough to be called up to the national team under Francis Kimanzi, making his debut in a World Cup qualifier away to Guinea.
He would remain a mainstay for the national team for the next seven years, forging an impregnable partnership with Edgar Fighter Ochieng. “We understood and complimented each other with Fighter. He had the pace while I could read the game and that is why our combination flourished and I truly believe were it not for politics at the federation, we could have qualified for at least for the African Cup of Nations,” asserted Owino.
While playing for Stars in a home match at Nyayo against Guinea, which Kenya won 2-0, Yanga officials were in the stands to monitor him.
“I played well and kept a clean sheet. Yanga chairman and coach Dusan Kondic were present and were impressed with my performance. They gave me an offer that I quickly agreed to and joined them,” recounted Owino. By this time, Antoine Hey had replaced Kimanzi as Stars coach. The much-maligned German took Owino for trials with the German club, Fortuna Dusseldorf but a move did not materialise.
“Actually, I performed well during the trials. It was a straight shootout between me and a South Korean defender over who will be signed up. The club eventually settled for the Korean because he was a free agent and a switch could be organised swiftly while I was still contracted to Yanga,” Owino remembered.
The arrival of a new coach at Yanga coincided with murmurs of complaints from the Tanzanian contingent at the club over the high number of foreigners in the squad. Owino had compatriots Bernard Mwalala, Maurice Sunguti, Boniface Ambani, Moses Odhiambo and John Njoroge for the company among other foreigners.
Image: ERICK BARASA
“After the outcry from the Tanzanians, it was agreed that only five non-nationals would be named in the matchday squad. For me, injuries had started taking a toll and I left to join Sofapaka in 2010,” recounted the veteran defender.
Owino’s International career continued despite further changes in the technical bench that saw Twahhir Muhhidin, Mulee, Zedekiah Otieno, Kimanzi, Henri Michel, James Nandwa and Adel Amrouche take over successively after the departure of Hey. It was during Amrouche’s time that Stars registered one if their memorable results in Owino’s time with the national team as they drew 1-1 with Nigeria in Calabar.
“The best moment for me was in 2008 when Kenya reached its highest ever Fifa ranking (68). Though we did not feature in any major tournament, the squad was one of the best. The result away in Calabar against the Super Eagles was one we all cherished,” Owino stated.
It is also in the period after Hey’s departure that also brought suspicions and investigations over the defender’s conduct.
According to a summary report from Fifa, Owino attempted, at the instigation of Perumal, to manipulate preliminary competition for the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa, the 2011 Nile Basin tournament in Egypt and several international matches played by the Kenyan national team.
The now-retired defender feels his club and federation should have done more to help in his defence. He now believes that with recently reported cases of match-fixing that led to the suspension of four KPL players, the authorities should look at the underlying reasons that force players to engage in the illegal act.
“We need to ask ourselves what leads players to fix matches. Player welfare is not taken seriously with delayed pay yet they have families to take care of. Football is a job and your family expect you to come back with something every time you leave. Clubs and federations must work on player welfare to eradicate such vices,” reckoned Owino.
Currently, Owino runs a dry cleaning business and also a small kiosk that sells ice cream, juices and puddings as well as nutritious porridge. He also provides supplements to fellow footballers.
“I make at least Sh2000 per day. I can live comfortably after football. My advice to footballers is to invest their earnings when they are still active,” he advised.
Owino’s brother Simon helped him invest in shares earlier in his career something that he says others should emulate. “Clubs and federation should solicit financial and investment experts to engage their players with a view of securing their future,” he urged.
Kenyan International Michael Olunga, Meddie Kagere were some of his toughest opponents with George Waweru and Musa Otieno his role models during their playing days.