Africa-Press – Rwanda. Kenyan top tier side AFC Leopards on Tuesday, February 11, announced the departure of Rwandan striker Arthur Gitego after one year at the club.
“We would like to confirm the release of our striker Arthur Gitego on mutual agreement. Arthur had penned a two-year contract upon joining the club on January 16, 2024, from Marines FC, Rwanda,” the statement partly reads.
“We express our gratitude for his performance in the team. His expertise and dedication have played a significant role in the club. We wish Gitego the best in the next chapter of his career and thank him for his contribution.”
Gitego is not an AFC Leopards player anymore as the 1.93 m attacker is free to explore new opportunities elsewhere.
In January 2024, Gitego was arguably the hottest Rwandan striker in the Rwandan league. He had a host of offers from CA Bizertin in Tunisia, FC Gagra in Georgia, as well as FC Shkupi in Macedonia but he opted for AFC Leopards who actually submitted a late bid.
His first few months were superb as he was the darling boy of the Leopards fans as he started his new adventure at the club bagging goals game after game. However, things took a new turn when his behavior off the field left him exposed. In October, he was said to have been detained by Kenyan Police for a yet to be named incident, fans also accused him of being alcoholic, something he vehemently denied.
The striker has actually been pushing for a move out of AFC Leopards since the end of 2024. His former coach Tomas Trucha told the club to release him but they were adamant considering the fact that he had one year on his contract and they had to pay him off.
One of the player’s representatives, who played a key role in his move to Leopards, explained why the club finally decided to let him go.
“Both parties were not happy with each other. There were counter accusations from both sides and each day, the tension was very high. Gitego was on 180,000 KSh a month. He was the second highest paid player at the club and they felt he was not delivering on top of his off field escapades, they had to cut him off,” a close representative of Gitego told Times Sport.
“The player has also been showing attitude. He also feels he isn’t being treated well as they deliberately omitted him from some games and that they should release him,” he added.
Times Sport has been told that the club management and the player himself held a meeting on Monday night which lasted for three hours.
“The club made it clear to Gitego why they are releasing him. The striker agreed to the termination when the club agreed to pay him off the rest of the contract,” the player’s representative said.
Gitego is said to have already attracted interest from clubs in North Africa particularly Libya whose transfer window is still ongoing.
A deal could be completed on the coming days as the Amavubi striker seeks a new challenge.
Gitego was the top scorer in the 2023/24 FKF Cup with five goals and also managed three goals and one assist in the Kenyan Premier League during the second round of the 2023/24 season.
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