Gor Mahia appeal FIFA ban as they make fresh revelation on 4.4 Million payment wrangle

By Luttah Njomo

Record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia have written to world football governing body FIFA to appeal a transfer ban handed to the club over payment wrangles with their former Malian goalkeeper Adama Traore.

K'Ogalo received the transfer ban on Wednesday after FIFA ruled that they had not paid dues owed to Keita on time.

However, the Kenyan football giants wrote to FIFA claiming that it had cleared all the money owed to Keita who demanded Ksh 4.4 million from the club plus other accrued money from penalties.

In their letter to FIFA, Gor Mahia argued that the contested payments were cleared by February 15 as was required of them.

Speaking to a local publication, an insider noted that the club was shocked by the action, stating that FIFA erred in imposing the transfer embargo leading to their appeal to have the ban imposed on the club to be lifted.

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"We are perplexed by the situation as of February 15th, as we have fully complied with FIFA's directives and settled all dues owed to the player. The matter was considered closed, and we are unclear about the player's current demands," the insider stated.

"The outstanding amounts consisted of 18% interest and a $15,272 penalty for delayed payment, both of which have been cleared from our end. It came as a surprise when we learned about the transfer ban yesterday.

"We have reached out to FIFA, providing evidence of payment, and are urging for a swift resolution to lift the ban. Our priority is to swiftly resolve this issue," the insider added.

The ban came after Gor reportedly failed to honour directives on new terms set for clearing the dues of the former goalkeeper.

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The FIFA Disputes Resolution Chamber directed Gor Mahia to pay Keita $2,618 in accrued interest and a contractual penalty of $15,272 within 45 days.

The player, who featured for the club in 2021, was initially awarded Ksh 4.4 million by FIFA as compensation following a contractual breach.

However, according to his letter to the Zurich-based organization, K'Ogalo was yet to honour the pledge necessitating the imposing of the sanctions.

“We refer to the above-mentioned matter as well as to the decision passed by Fifa. In this context, it appears that, despite the decision, Gor Mahia (the respondent) has still not complied with its financial obligations towards Mr Adama Keita (the claimant),” the letter read in part.

“In this regard, we wish to inform the parties that a ban from registering new players internationally has been implemented by Fifa,” the letter continued.

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By the time of this publication, FIFA had not responded to Gor's appeal. However, if the decision is upheld, it is more likely to affect the league leaders in the next season.

How the Dispute Started

In July 2022, Keita quit the club and reported to FIFA accusing the club of contract breach. In November 2022, Fifa’s Disputes Resolution Chamber ruled in favour of Keita, awarding him Ksh4.4 million in compensation, including 5 per cent interest.

In March 2023, the ban was lifted after Gor came up with a payment plan which saw them disburse an initial $16,000 to the player’s account while promising to clear the remaining $14,544 by April 30, 2023

On April 30, 2023, Keita filed a case with Fifa seeking payment of the remaining amount plus the accrued penalty.

Gor agreed to clear the balance with FIFA agreeing to their new arrangement.

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