I have bills to pay, many mouths to feed, ex-Gor goalie Ottamax pleads with President Kenyatta

I have bills to pay, many mouths to feed, ex-Gor goalie Ottamax pleads with President Kenyatta

Former Gor Mahia  and Harambee Stars goalkeeping coach Mathews Ottamax has expressed his frustrations at the ban on sports calling on President Kenyatta to reconsider the decision.

“It’s very unfortunate, nothing to smile about, apart from my football coaching role, I have a part time job at an entertainment club, all these have been suspended indefinitely.

“I have bills to pay, many mouths to feed and my only qualifications are zoned on the above two,” he lamented. “We fully acknowledge the existence of the virus but sending us home empty is not a good idea.  As much as we are trying to flatten the curve, let’s not cause depression to athletes, we can do better than this, we can still have sports but under strict guidelines, this is enough,” an emotional Ottamax lamented, in an interview with Citizen Digital.

The suspension of sporting activities in Kenya could have a major impact on athletes preparing for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Kenya’s men and women rugby sevens teams, however, are not in the country at the moment as they are in Dubai to take part in the Emirates Invitational 7s, which will take place in April and serve as a warm-up event for teams competing at Tokyo 2020.

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya hopes to send a record 100 athletes to the Games, with the organisation saying earlier this year that it planned to hold training camps in Kenya during April.

The Olympic Games are due to take place between July 23 and August 8, with the Paralympics scheduled to follow between August 24 and September 5.

It is unclear whether the Government could issue exemptions for athletes preparing for the Games.

Following the ban, several federations have issued statements complying with the directive, among them Kenya Rugby Union, Athletics Kenya, Football Kenya Federation, among others.

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GOR MAHIA President Uhuru Kenyatta Ban on Sports Matthews Ottamax

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