I bet this is among the biggest scandal to be ever witnessed in the world of Football. The love of money paints the country in a most negative way. That is corruption.
World football governing body Fifa has launched investigations into serious match-fixing allegations against a Harambee Stars player who is said to have been paid millions of shillings to throw away the Kenya national team’s matches.
Fifa has established a prima facie case against defender George Owino Audi for potentially committing breaches of the world football governing body’s Code of Ethics between June 2009 and 2011.
According to the Federation of International Football Associations (Fifa) report released in September 2018, Owino, through 177 email communications exchanged between him and high-profile international match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal, conspired to manipulate and influence the result of international matches involving Kenya.
Fifa says Owino, 37, agreed to commit himself and several unidentified Harambee Stars players to play under instruction from Perumal.
Details of the 14 matches mentioned in the evidence are currently in possession of the Fifa Integrity Department, which contacted Football Kenya Federation (FKF) on August 10, 2018 requesting Owino’s contacts. FKF responded 10 days later.
Further, Fifa’s integrity unit investigators claim that Owino was part of a conspiracy to approach and recruit several Kenya national team players for match manipulation purposes, and allegedly accepted and solicited money from Perumal in exchange for influencing the results of the matches.
Fifa also says Owino conspired with Perumal to seek recruitment into an unidentified football club in Australia, where the two planned to manipulate matches in exchange for more money.
“I have an offer for you to play in Australia,” read Perumal’s proposal to Owino on March 25, 2010. “You’ve to stay quiet about this. The league starts in August and I will sign you up in June 2010. Stay away from other clubs.”
“Do you want to play for my club? It has to be confidential,” Perumal reiterated a day later, on March 26, 2010.
Owino replied: “Yes, the one you said is in Australia and hope is good for the business.”
Perumal, who has previously been sentenced to prison in Finland and Hungary for match-fixing crimes, wrote an email to Owino sharing his intentions to commit match manipulation once he joined his new club in Australia by stating:
“The purpose I’m going to bring you there is for business, but you have to remain loyal to me only. Remain free. Salary each month is $30,000 (Sh3 million). If I say lose, you do as I say, or else you won’t see your salary.”
The series of emails goes on and on.
George Owino has since refused to give interviews or insight into the matter as he awaits for FIFA to open a case against him.