Kenya coach suspended for spitting at match official

Confederation of African Football (CAF) has slapped a one-year suspension on Kenya's head coach Adel Amrouche for his undisciplined behaviour against a match official.

In a letter to the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Monday, the continental football governing body Secretary General Hicham El Amrani said Amrouche was suspended after being found guilty of spitting at a match official, reports Xinhua.

Amrouche is accused of spitting at the fourth official during Kenya's match against Comoros last month, an offence that saw him sent off.

CAF will, however, not fine the Belgian coach.

"The suspension is effective from Sunday," El Amrani's letter has said.

Amrouche is still away in Maseru where Kenya played Lesotho in the Africa Nations Cup qualifier match. Kenya lost the match 0-1 and will host the southern Africa side in Nairobi in a fortnight.

The coach was earlier slapped with a two-match suspension pending the submission of the matter to the CAF Disciplinary Board.

The board, chaired by Raymond Hack from South Africa, held its sitting Thursday at CAF headquarters in Cairo.

In its ruling, the board found Amrouche guilty of breaching Article 129 (c) of its rules, which provides for a 12-match ban to anyone spitting at a match official.

The decision, the letter says, will be communicated to the world governing body FIFA, which may extend the sanction internationally.

"The decision can be contested before CAF appeal board. The party intending to appeal shall announce this intention in writing within three days of notification of the decision," said the letter from CAF.

However, FKF chairman Sam Nyamweya said he is not aware of the suspension.

"It is true we had appealed against the two-match suspension slapped on Amrouche because we felt it was unfair. We are still waiting for an answer from CAF on the matter," said Nyamweya.

Amrouche, who was hired last year in February, took over from Frenchman Henri Michel, who quit after seven months in office.