Chemelil Sugar midfielder John Ochieng can afford a smile after the club rescinded their decision to drop him on the final day of the January transfer window.
Ochieng was handed a massive blow in his career progression after the club axed him few hours to the closure of the window, a move which initially would have rendered him club-less for the remainder of the season.
The versatile midfielder who is arguably Chemelil’s prized asset is reported to have been dropped, thanks to an argument with controversial Muhoroni Youth chairman Moses Adagala who is apparently bankrolling the sugar millers.
However, Ochieng was admitted back to the squad on Sunday following concerted efforts by top brass officials of the sugar company and Football Kenya Federation.
“I am happy to be back to the squad which is an opportunity for me to continue doing what I do best. I can't thank the management of the sugar company and the federation enough for their intervention. I was on the verge of giving up but their efforts have given me hope. I have no hard feelings against Adagala for firing me but instead, I am focused on helping the team achieve their objectives,” he said.
His return was also confirmed by the technical bench and a senior administrator at the company who initiated the negotiations with the player, Adagala and the federation. Adagala also confirmed his retention but urged the player to work on his discipline.
The federation through the Player Status Committee confirmed that the player was eligible to feature for the club’s Kenya Premier League matches and further revealed that his old license was valid. The committee also acknowledged receipt of wrongful dismissal cases by seven Ushuru players and vowed to fight for their rights.
“We engaged Chemelil after the player lodged a complaint with us formally. It was unfair to dismiss him hours to the closure of the window which would have rendered him clubless for months. We have also received seven cases of Ushuru players who are protesting after their contracts were unfairly terminated. We endeavour to fight for the rights of the players and at the same time urge clubs to honour the terms in players’ contracts,” said a member of the committee
Meanwhile, FC Talanta have also confirmed their attacking and national U-20 Rising Stars midfielder Chris Owino has been drafted back into the squad. The midfielder was controversially dropped in January but the club, who conceded to have errored by terminating his contract, recalled him to join the rest last Friday.
“We decided to recall him after realising that we did not follow due process. We had earlier decided to let him go after skipping training for almost a month but had concrete reasons to exonerate him,” said the club’s team manager David Chweya.
