Harambee Starlets ‘assaulted’ at South African Embassy
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) official Angeline Mwikali claims members of the national women football team were assaulted at the South African Embassy on Wednesday morning.
The Harambee Starlets contingent – comprising players and technical bench members – went to the embassy to collect their travel Visas, ahead of Saturday’s Olympic Games qualification match against the Banyana Banyana, in Johannesburg.
“We went there in good faith to collect our Visas. Instead, the management called security who started shoving us out of the facility. Now they are telling us to come and collect the visas on Friday, and yet the game is on Saturday. I have been left wondering whether this is a tactic to frustrate us,” Mwikali told Nairobi News.
FKF has consequently decided to petition the South Africa FA to reschedule this tie, set for the UJ Stadium in Westden to Sunday.
TRANSIT VISA
This incident highlights the challenges Kenyans are facing in trying to visit or work in South Africa.
It comes barely two months since the same team was denied a transit visa by South Africa while enroute to Botswana during the earlier stages of this competition.
And last year, the Government through the office of the Commissioner of Sports, had to intervene after AFC Leopards were initially denied Visa to visit the country and play a Confederation Cup match against SuperSport United.
Kenyan footballers Allan Wanga, Paul Were, Kevin Omondi and Brian Mandela have also experienced challenges acquiring work permits to play professionally in the country.