'We'll not be bullied': All Starlets accuse Tanzania giants of player tapping

Harambee Starlets forward Bertha Omita is embroiled is a transfer saga between Kenya’s Kisumu All Starlets and Simba Queens of Tanzania.

Photos of the Kenyan international in a Simba Queens jersey while signing a two-year deal with Tanzanian champions last week irked the Kenya Women’s Premier League side, who accused the player of not following due process.

Soccer Expo Agency, which manages Kisumu All Starlets players, said the 23-year-old Omita approached Simba Queens without her club's consent.

"The player like many others in the WPL teams was complaining of the fact that her team was not paying her, that despite the on and off allowances, they were not getting their salaries and it became especially difficult to sustain herself during this pandemic period,” James Obura, a member of the agency, told Nation Sport.

"But this does not justify her decision to join another club while still contracted to Kisumu All Starlets. Both Omita and Simba Queens were wrong and thus making the contract invalid until the player is officially released."

Omita, who previously played for Oserian Ladies, had just signed a two-year contract with Kisumu All Starlets in February this year.

Kisumu All Starlets head coach Said Juma accused Simba of player tapping.

"I cannot talk about the move because we were left out throughout the process. And it is still confusing that both she and the mentioned club would do this without following the procedure," he added.

According to Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Head of transfers Frank Ogolla, the federation has written to Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) asking them to abide by the rules and regulations that govern player transfers.

"It is now clear that TFF does not necessarily follow the rules while acquiring a player from another team. They should have asked for the release letter and International Transfer Certificate first,” said ogolla.

“We are still waiting for their response from what we wrote to them base on the obvious complaints from the club Omita is already registered in.”

Omita had a big year in 2019 after she got called up to the Harambee Starlets for the Olympic qualifiers where Kenya was eliminated by Zambia in the fourth round.

Simba Queens dominated Tanzania's Women's premier league last season that ended last week on Wednesday after they beat TSC Queens 9-0 in the final match of the season in Mwanza.

The Women’s PL in Kenya was cancelled by the Football Kenya Federation barely one round into the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.