Kenya striker Dennis Oliech refused to travel with the national team to Guinea claiming he is owed US$1,700 by the Kenya Football Federation.
Oliech arrived at the airport on Wednesday morning ready to travel to Guinea for the World Cup qualifier but then refused to fly when KFF officials would not pay him the money he claims he is owed.
The 20-year-old says that he is owed the money for tickets he has bought travelling from his club Al Arabi in Qatar.
The KFF chairman Alfred Sambu and Harambee Stars’ coach Mohammed Kheri tried to persuade Oliech to change his mind but the striker refused to back down and left the airport in a taxi.
However the KFF secretary-general Titus Kasuve denied that they owe Oliech as much as US$1,700.
“I don’t want to say it is because of outstanding tickets [that he has not travelled],” Kasuve told BBC Sport.
“We made sure that we sorted out the ticket issue with the players.
More: news.bbc.co.uk
Related Travel Information
For the second time, Kenya striker Dennis Oliech refused to fly to Conakry to join his Harambee Stars team-mates, demanding Sh130,000 in air ticket refund and allowances despite valiant effort by soccer officials and the Government to convince him to travel yesterday.
The Kenya Football Federation chairman Alfred Sambu and acting commissioner for sports Gordon Oluoch held talks with Oliech for over an hour in an effort to convince him to fly out yesterday.
Dennis Oliech (with cap) and the Kenya Football Federation chairman Alfred Sambu are mobbed at the Nairobi Technical Training Institute yesterday. Photos by Chris Omollo
There had been
US refuses to lift travel ban on Modi
The United States yesterday refused to reverse a decision to bar rightwing leader Narendra Modi but stressed the move was not aimed at his Hindu nationalist party, which ruled India until last year.
United States ambassador David Mulford to New Delhi said that since Modi belonged to the category of “foreign government officials responsible for, or (who) directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violation of religious freedom” he cannot be granted a visa.
Mulford’s statement to reporters came two days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged Washington to reconsider its decision
The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has refused to rule out military action against Syria or to be drawn on whether US troops will still be in Iraq in 10 years' time.
Asked by the Senate foreign relations committee whether any military action against Syria would require congressional approval, Dr Rice said she "didn't want to try and circumscribe presidential war powers … and the President retains those powers in the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq".
She added: "I'm not going to get into what the President's options might be, but the course on which we are now
Airline blacklists issued this week by France, Belgium and Switzerland do not go far enough to address safety concerns after a string of deadly air crashes, European media and analysts said on Friday.
France and Belgium published the names of 14 companies banned from using their airports or airspace due to concerns over their safety or aircraft maintenance record, while the Swiss list contained just two.
But commentators said the companies covered by this "name and shame" campaign fell far short of the total number whose operations gave rise to concern.
International airline safety has become a particularly sensitive issue following four fatal
Middle East: Palestinian Politicians Prevented From Campaigning
Israeli police have stopped two Palestinian politicians from campaigning in East Jerusalem, at the start of the Palestinian poll campaign. Hanan Ashrawi, from the Third Way party, and Mustafa Barghouti, who is running as an independent, were prevented from canvassing on the first day of campaigning for the 25 January elections. The candidates were told no Palestinian political activity was allowed in the area, under Israeli law.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said earlier that he will postpone the vote if Israel refuses to allow Palestinians in the area to take part.
Abbas' ruling Fatah