Sofapaka boosted after Fifa lifts transfer ban

Kenyan Premier League side Sofapaka breathed a sigh of relief after world football governing body Fifa lifted their transfer ban.

Batoto ba Mungu were given the green light to sign new players following payments made to their former Burundian players Abdull “Razak” Fiston, David Nshimirimana and Moussa Omar-over breach of contract issues.

According to the club team manager Hillary Echesa, the 2009, FKF Premier League champions had been blocked from signing new players after former players Fiston, Omar and ex-assistant coach Pablo Nduimana took them to Fifa over unpaid salary arrears.

“The ban was lifted on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 by FIFA. We wrote them a and they lifted the ban immediately,” Echesa said.

The former Kenyan international midfielder also confirmed have been given an extended period until end month to settle outstanding balanced owed to their former striker Paul Kiongera and Collins Wakhungu.

Sofapaka can now register their 17 new signings who came on board during the transfer window that officially closed on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at 12 pm.

The team battled Talanta this weekend in the FKF -PL with only 13 players in their team during the opening weekend of the season on August 28, 2024.

Despite having a lean squad, Sofapaka narrowly fell 1-0 to former champions Tusker FC at Machakos stadium.

Head coach Robert Matano cried foul of the the situation claiming they lost to a full-strength Tusker side with a very lean squad which limited their performance and they are happy the new players can finally don the famous blue shirt.

“We can now compete with others without getting over whelmed. We are headed to match day two against Talanta, confidently with a squad of 30 to choose from,” Matano said.

Sofapaka president Elly Khalekwa said they needed around Sh7 million to sort out the players dues, to beat the Club Licensing grace period granted by First Instance Body.

Having cleared the foreign based stars dues, they now remain with an the deficit owed to Kiongera and Wakhungu.

Khalekwa did not disclose how much the players were owed but, went ahead to say they are looking for sponsors to ensure they complete the season without hitches.

“We are also knocking doors for sponsors, to help us run the season smoothly. We need at least ksh 60million for that to happen” said  the flashy Congolese business man.

Sofapaka escaped relegation by a whisker after beating  Naivas 2-0 in the two legged play offs last season.