Epoloto and Chacha suspended

• GSU coach banned for one year by KVF as the tae kwon do man faces indefinite suspension

Former Kenya Tae kwon do chairman James Chacha and the national men’s volleyball team Moses Epoloto have been suspended for different reasons by their respective national federations.

Chacha was suspended indefinitely for frustrating the participation of the national team in the World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, last month.

Epoloto, who is also the coach of the General Service Unit, has been banned from volleyball activities for one year after he attacked a referee in Mombasa, causing the abandonment of a semi-final match between his team and Kenya Posta in the Orange Trophy tournament.

Chacha was also accused of embarrassing the Kenya Tae kwon do Federation (KTF) by presenting himself as the federation’s chairman during the World Tae kwon do Federation (WTF) general assembly in Copenhagen. He was denied access.

Also suspended by the KTF are Patrick Ngana and national referee, Jayne Frances Kitala, over their involvement in the controversy that led to the team’s failure to travel to Denmark.

Chacha however denied ever seeking access to the WTF congress as KTF president but was in Copenhagen as a representative of National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock), though the team that he was to oversee was not there.

Denied entry

“I travelled as a representative of Nock. KTF made a late request for the visa and that is why they were denied entry. Moreover, they had people suspected not to be Kenyan in the squad,” said Chacha.

Nock, which had given assistance to the team, had allowed Chacha to travel as head of delegation, but with no Kenyan team travelling, his trip was just a of waste of money.

Ngana’s suspension was based on the accusation by KTF that he tried to enter a fictitious team in the championships in Denmark. Kitala, one of the beneficiaries of Nock tickets to Denmark, was reprimanded for not seeking KTF clearance before her trip.

“We will place her (Kitala) in a category of sanction case by member national association. As a result, we will not invite her to our promoted championships until we receive further notification from your federation,” read a letter from WTF’s Jay Lee, the deputy manager in the referee division.

Relieved of his duties

Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) secretary general, Evans Wasike, also confirmed that Epoloto has been relieved of his duty with the national team, where he served as the head coach. Epoloto attacked Anderson Ochieng, a referee who was officiating in the semi-final match against Posta, which left him injured.

“His action was dangerous. He attacked a referee over a disputed point decision in Mombasa and caused the abandonment of the match. He is lucky we did not expel him,” he said.

Wasike said that Epoloto, being in responsible positions as coach of the national team and the country’s top volleyball clubs, had brought the game into disrepute.