Controversy hits Kenya in tough pool in Dubai

Kenya’s Sevens hopes of staging some massive upsets at this weekend’s Dubai Sevens look slim, especially after a pay row has engulfed the African nation ahead of the tournament and looks set to leave some of their stars at home.

Already facing an uphill battle in facing the Blitzboks, World Series champions Australia and Great Britain in a tough pool A, some of Kenya’s Sevens stars took to social media this week to ask for donations after they had not been paid for months.

It seems the recent loss of the Kenya Airways sponsorship for the team has had dire results and the players have apparently not been paid for months, and do not have enough to cover some of their expenses ahead of the tournament.

Willy Ambaka, the veteran speedster, warned that this would mean that Kenya may not travel with the full complement of players as they may not have the funds.

Kenya also face another whammy because if they continue their poor results, they could be relegated as one of the core teams on the HSBC World Sevens circuit.

"As some of you may have heard, we are now going on our third month without pay," Ambaka posted on Twitter.

"Our lives and those of our loved ones have been greatly strained, even in our persistent effort to give you the desired outcomes on the pitch."

Fellow Kenyan star Billy Odhiambo also took to Twitter.

“We are struggling but we have to represent you people at the Dubai and Cape Town Legs," Odhiambo said on the social network.

This comes after coach Damian McGrath was open about the team’s problems after they lost every game in the Hong Kong Sevens.

"I knew life wasn't going to be straightforward here in Kenya but I had no idea that these last couple of months would be so difficult," McGrath, who took over the coaching reigns in May told AFP.

"They're so proud to represent the country, they push themselves hard, and yet they can't always get to train because they don't have the money to get here."

What impact this has on the Kenyan team ahead of their matches in Dubai awaits to be seen.

Kenya’s Fixtures (All times CAT, GMT+2. All games live on SuperSport)

FRIDAY

9.56 Kenya v Australia

13.20 Kenya v South Africa

18.18 Kenya v Great Britain