Four Kenyan footballers' passports retained over forged FKF letter

The passports of four Kenyan footballers — Ben Stanley (Sofapaka), Ronney Onyango (Gor Mahia), Musa Masika (Gor Mahia), and Shariff Majabe (Mombasa Stars) — have been retained at the Italian Embassy in Nairobi. The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has revealed that the passports were held due to the players allegedly using a forged FKF letterhead and the CEO's signature in their visa applications.

In a statement released on their X platform on 16 August 2024, the FKF provided details on the incident, the current status, and the steps being taken to resolve the matter.

Ben Stanley, a key player for Sofapaka, and Ronney Onyango and Musa Masika, both rising stars for Gor Mahia, are among those affected. Shariff Majabe, known for his defensive skills at Mombasa Stars, is also caught up in this scandal.

Preliminary investigations point to Omar Masika, former player now living abroad, as well as a National Super League (NSL) club official, as the possible masterminds behind the forged documents used in the visa applications.

The FKF is actively engaging with the Italian Embassy to secure the return of the players' passports. Meanwhile, the federation has initiated internal proceedings against those suspected of forging the documents. FKF has stated that no further comments will be made until the matter is fully resolved.

However, a reliable source privy to the development has told Eastleigh Voice, that FKF was, allegedly, approached to write the letter but did not hence the agents opted to forge the crucial document.

The four players were to try out at a Latvian club that is currently in Italy for pre-season. It has been double-tragedy for Ronney Onyango who also did not travel with Gor Mahia to Sudan where they are set to face Al Merreikh in a CAF Champions League first preliminary tie on Sunday afternoon.