THIS IS MY DEFENCE: Amrouche insists FKF knew about the Burundian, says he prepared Stars well

FKF President Sam Nyamweya and Amrouche Adel, left, Coach when FKF hosted Harambee stars for a breakfast from Malawi at Hotel Beoulevard, Nairobi. (14/06/13) Photo: Jonah Onyango.

Suspended coach Adel Amrouche has defended his tenure at Harambee Stars bench two days after he appeared before the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to contest his one-year ban.
In a four-page letter addressed to Football Kenya Federation (FKF), which FeverPitch has seen, the coach said he was not to blame for the loss against Lesotho as he did his best to prepare the team for the match.
"I did my level best to impart the professional acumen needed to help the team win. In the end, it was a matter of bad luck because in the entire 90 minutes the players created many scoring chances which they could not convert," says part of the letter.
Amrouche also defended the inclusion of Burundian Amaya Amaros on the technical bench of Harambee Stars.
"It was my tradition to bring anybody I think could add value to the team and it is on this strength that I made this decision. The FKF was aware of this as well.
"He was even on the bench during the first leg match against Lesotho away," he said.
Regarding his suspension by CAF, Amrouche expressed confidence that the CAF appeals board will find him innocent and thanked the federation for standing by him throughout the ordeal.
The coach appeared before the CAF appeals board on Monday in Cairo but has to wait for a few days to know the verdict on his appeal.
"I never spat at a match official as alleged in my suspension letter from CAF. I want to thank FKF for standing by me throughout this ordeal and remain confident that the ban will be overturned," he revealed.
He also expressed desire to fully co-operate with a probe committee formed to discuss the poor results against Lesotho.
Though the FKF has insisted time and again that they have not sacked Amrouche, the technical bench for which he was head coach was disbanded after the match against Lesotho.
A new bench comprising Bobby Williamson as head coach and Musa Otieno as his assistant was immediately put in place after that.
It remains unclear what will happen if CAF lifts his suspension considering that he had signed a five-year deal with Harambee Stars at the beginning of this year.
Amrouche early last year and during his tenure helped the team win the regional Senior Challenge Cup held in Kenya.
His tenure was characterized by run-ins with referees. He was suspended from sitting on the bench at least twice. The first time was during a World Cup qualifier against Nigeria and most recently against Lesotho.

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