The mysterious case of Engin Firat's contract and unpaid salary

Help me out here. I am trying to imagine working in a foreign country, doing an important, specialised job such as coaching a national team, and not being paid for nine months.

What would a public announcement of this predicament look like? Probably a bit like a snippet from Donald Trump’s rambling, incoherent exposition during Tuesday’s US Presidential debate.

Certainly nothing like the, by the way, comment Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat issued during a post-match interview following their 2-1 win over Namibia earlier this week.

Me? I would call a press conference at home, not away in Johannesburg, and make my dues the main subject.

Instead of saying I sometimes use part of my money on administrative matters concerning the national team, as Firat said a few months ago, I would paint a picture of reality by mentioning my wife and children, who are forced to miss both their father and money.

Well, Firat wasn’t and probably isn’t going to do any of that, because he knows what is going on, and might be benefitting from the delayed payment.

In March, when he first voiced his frustrations regarding delayed payments, then Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba asked the Football Kenya Federation to furnish them with the coach’s contract.

After all, everyone who draws a salary from the government read taxpayers, is required to have their salary figures reviewed by the Salaries and Remunerations Commission (SRC).

It has been many months since, and I doubt SRC Chairperson Lyn Mengich has seen it either. So, where is the coach’s contract? How much, exactly, does he earn every month? What are his deliverables? Who is supposed to pay him?

By the way, how was Firat’s appointment as head coach arrived at in the first place? Who recommended him? How many other candidates were on the list and what set Firat apart?

And thinking of it, how has the coach been meeting his day-to-day needs here in Kenya? He said a few months ago that he sometimes uses his own money to meet administrative costs involving the national team.

Where does this money come from? Match-fixing has been a growing problem in the Kenyan football scene.

Might he be involved in any businesses or dealings we should be worried about? Is the Turk waiting for an opportune time to slap us all with an invoice of a whopping Sh25 million stapled together with a demand letter from FIFA instructing Kenya to pay the coach his dues plus interest?

Well, it has happened before (refer to Adel Amrouche case) meaning it can happen again.

These are questions few would want to ask, and even fewer would be willing to answer. Whatever the case, nobody can convince me that Firat is doing it out of the kindness of his heart. That he loves Harambee Stars so much that he is willing to go to bed hungry.

I expect the excuses to follow, but we have an important match coming up against multiple champions Cameroon that will determine whether we qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations or not.

I expected the coach to recommend a few training sessions in Iten for high-altitude training to build endurance, but all I'm seeing is someone blowing hard on cold ashes.