AFC Leopards players end strike

AFC Leopards players have temporarily agreed to halt their strike after ceasefire talks with the management on Wednesday.

Thus, the team, under the tutelage of Belgium coach Patrick Aussems, is Thursday afternoon expected to depart for Mombasa for Friday’s Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) match against Bandari.

"We've had fruitful talks with the players and they have agreed to train and play," the club's treasurer Maurice Chichi said, disputing claims that some players were planning to throw away the league match against Bandari.

"We understand their situation and have also urged them to be patient. We owe them some monies and are working hard to ensure we settle that. Nobody will be victimised."

Leopards players downed their tools on Tuesday, refusing to board their brand new bus at the Kenya Cinema pick-up point in Nairobi's CBD. 

Aussems, who guided the team to a 6-0 thrashing over Taita All-Stars in the Betway Cup in his debut match last weekend, is unlikely to have witnessed such challenges at his previous workstations, namely Tanzanian moneybags Simba, South Africa's Black Leopards, Congo's AC Leopards, and Sudan's Al Hilal.

Nation Sport understands the players are owed part of monthly salaries for December and January.

In Wednesday's meeting at the Cambridge School training grounds, club chairman Dan Shikanda convinced the players to end the strike without giving them money. 

Sources in the meeting told this writer that Shikanda explained to the players the club's financial resources had been stretched following the existing ban of supporters from the stadiums. 

He further stated that collections from a fundraiser held last week totaling Sh1.8 million (half of which were pledges) are not enough to offset a month's salaries.

Commercial Drector Enos Mutokah and Franklin Imbenzi, who is an executive member in charge of the branches, were present at the meeting.

Currently ranked fourth on the league standings behind leaders Tusker, KCB and Wazito, Leopards, with 19 points from nine outings, will be gunning for a win over the Dockers, managed by former coach Andre Casa Mbungo, a Rwandan.