Kenyan Premier League champions Kenya Police FC are confident CAF will rule in their favour after they filed a protest against Sudanese club Al Hilal Omdurman after they allegedly fielded ineligible players during their 2025-26 CAF Champions League Second Round encounter.
Al Hilal beat Kenya Police 4-1 on aggregate to secure a spot in the group stage draw, which is scheduled for November 3 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Sudanese club won 1-0 in the first leg in Nairobi on October 17, then finished the job with a 3-1 victory in the second leg in Benghazi, Libya, on October 24.
Telvin Irungu (right) Mogadishu City Club dribbles past Tobias Omondi of Kenya Police FC during their Caf Champions League preliminary round first leg match at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on September 20, 2025
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Before the start of the second leg, Kenya Police submitted a formal protest contesting the eligibility of Al Hilal’s Burkinabe goalkeeper Soufian Farid Ouedraogo, Congolese defender Ernest Luzolo, and Nigerian striker Sunday Damilare Adetunji. Adetunji scored twice for the Sudanese club in their second-leg victory. Police’s protest was communicated to Al Hilal’s captain, who countersigned it according to CAF’s protest filing procedures.
Within 48 hours after the match, Police wrote to CAF to confirm they had filed a protest. They followed up with a detailed confirmation of their complaint, as guided by CAF regulations.
“We have even paid the complaint fee, and we look forward to this matter being decided before the group stage draw,” Kenya Police FC chairman Nyale Munga told Nation Sport yesterday. The CAF complaint fee is $2,000 (Sh260,000). Kenya Police FC will be refunded the amount if their complaint is successful. Otherwise, CAF will fine the club $10,000 (Sh1.3 million).
Kenya Police FC argues that the three players are not registered with the Sudanese Football Association and are therefore ineligible to play Al Hilal in CAF competitions.
“Players appearing in CAF competitions must be registered with the national association to which their club is affiliated. That is what the regulations stipulate,” Munga said.
Telvin Irungu (right) Mogadishu City Club tackles Tobias Otieno of Kenya Police FC during their Caf Champions League preliminary round first leg match at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on September 20, 2025
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Furthermore, Kenya Police FC claimed that Al Hilal has 14 foreign players on its roster, which violates the Sudanese FA’s regulations that limit clubs to registering 10 foreign players as first-team members. Sudanese clubs may also register an additional three foreign players, provided they are under the age of 21 and are part of the club’s youth team.
Nyale said they learned about the three ineligible players from a Good Samaritan. “There are people in African football who want to see things done right, and one such person notified us of Al Hilal’s ineligible players,” said Munga, who declined to reveal his club’s sources, describing them only as “well-meaning Sudanese people.”
If Kenya Police FC’s protest is successful, they will replace Al Hilal in Monday’s draw for the 2025–26 CAF Champions League group stages.
Albert Otieno (left) of Kenya Police FC is tackled by Abdiwali Mohamed of Mogadishu City Club their Caf Champions League match preliminary round second leg against Kenya Police FC at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on on September 28, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Al Hilal dismissed Kenya Police FC’s complaint as having “no real value” in a statement, arguing that their players were legally registered “under the supervision of the Sudanese FA and CAF.”
“The club’s board has been invited to the draw ceremony in Johannesburg. CAF has also sent us a list of approved stadiums to choose from to host our home matches,” Al Hilal stated.
