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Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has announced that the passports of players Ben Stanley, Ronney Onyango, Musa Masika, and Shariff Majabe are currently being held at the Italian Embassy.

The issue stems from the use of forged FKF documentation for visa applications.

FKF explains

According to FKF, the passports are being retained because the players submitted visa applications using forged federation letterheads and a falsified FKF CEO’s signature.

Onyango and Masika were seeking trials in Italy, and there were reports that Onyango’s passport was being held due to a letter with incorrect details.

The FKF has however revealed that preliminary investigations point to a former player currently residing abroad, an NSL club official, and/or their agents as the culprits behind the forgery.

“Four players, namely Ben Stanley, Ronney Onyango, Musa Masika, and Shariff Majabe, used a forged federation letterhead and the FKF CEO’s signature to apply for visas at the Italian Embassy. As a result, the players’ passports have been retained at the Embassy,” the FKF statement said.

The federation says it is actively engaging with the Italian Embassy to secure the return of the passports and has initiated internal disciplinary proceedings against those responsible for the forgery.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that a former player currently residing abroad and an NSL club official and/or their agents are behind the forged FKF documentation and the Visa applications.
The federation continues to engage the Italian Embassy with a view to having the retained passports released back to the four players,” the statement revealed.\

FKF next step

“The federation has formally initiated internal disciplinary proceedings against the individuals believed to have forged FKF documents used in the visa application. FKF will not be making further statements on the issue until the matter is resolved,” the statement added.

Notably, Ronney Onyango, a Harambee Stars attacker, was omitted from the Gor Mahia squad that has traveled to Sudan for the Champions League opener as a result of this issue.