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Kenya's Oliech in talks to join S. African side Free State Stars

Xinhua,May 10, 2018 Adjust font size:

NAIROBI, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Former Kenya captain and record international scorer, Dennis Oliech is on the verge of making a sensational return to football two and a half years after hanging his boots in South Africa.

Local media reports said Oliech, 33, held talks on Wednesday with South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) side, Free State Stars to revive his career.

"Dennis (Oliech) had a very good meeting today (Wednesday) with the management and everything is on good track. He has to return to France for some family issue and the talks are not yet finalized because he has to have all his papers in order for us to start processing the work permit," Belgian Luc Eymael, coach of Free State Stars, told local press.

"We expect him back with us on June 18 when we start pre-season with all his papers in order. We will also do a medical test after this and hopefully finalize the deal," he added.

The former Harambee Stars captain trained with Free State Stars for nine days and impressed Eymael despite admitting he has a lot to do to regain match fitness.

Should the deal be struck, Oliech will become the second Kenyan to play for Free State since Joseph Okumu (2016/17) and the fourth in the PSL.

Oliech has not played club football since leaving Dubai Cultural Sports Club where he spent half a season after three seasons with Ajaccio in the French top tier.

His last match for Harambee Stars was on September 6, 2015 when he played in Kenya's 2-1 defeat to Zambia in an African Cup of Nations qualifier.

Once the poster boy for Kenyan football, Oliech famously scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Cape Verde to send his country to the 2004 Africa Nations Cup finals in Tunisia, the latest time the East African nation made the showpiece. He is also the record scorer with 34 goals in 68 appearances for Kenya in international football. Enditem

 

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