McDonald Mariga’s Move to the Premier League Collapses

Monday, 01 February 2010 03:00

Written by theNairobian

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Reports reaching theNairobian indicate that McDonald Mariga’s ( Big Mac) move to the English Premier League side, Manchester City, has fallen through due to failure of theNairobian marauding mid-fielder to get a work permit. Manchester City had agreed terms with Mariga’s club, Perma, and also agreed personal terms with theNairobian and all that remained was for the player to obtain a work permit for him to be unveiled as a Manchester City Player and become the first Kenyan (and Nairobian for that matter) to join the English Premier League.

The reports claim that an initial work permit application had been declined and an appeals hearing, today failed to over turn that decision.

Unless, Manchester City somehow miraculously obtain a reversal of the decision on the work permit, this would be the second time that the talented Kenyan footballer would have failed to move to the English Premier League due to work permit refusal. The first time was when the current Tottenham Hotspurs manager, Harry Redknapp, then with Portsmouth failed to sign him about four years ago.

The rock hitting Mariga’s smooth sailing into England has to do with that nonsensical  provision that apart from having played 75% ( we think so) of Kenya’s games in the last two (really?) years, Kenya must have been ranked  in the top 70 of that FIFA ranking thing.

All would however not be lost as Manchester City, or any other English Football Club can renew there interest in Mariga in the Summer transfer window and meanwhile hope that Kenya improves on its ranking or that a special circumstances can be argued.

All that Mariga can now do is to keep on playing and improving his game at Parma and know that a move to a bigger club is just a matter of when, not if.

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