Kenya Police's Abud Omar hit out at FKF Premier League awards
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 05.06.26. | 12:32
The award attracted a highly competitive field, with Owili edging out Omar, his Mara Sugar teammate Robison Msungu, AFC Leopards defender Kayci Odhiambo, Shabana's Wycliffe Omondi and Gor Mahia's Paul Ochuoga
Kenya Police FC defender Abud Omar has launched a scathing criticism of the criteria used to determine the FKF Premier League Defender of the Year award following Thursday evening's end-of-season gala.
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Omar finished as the runner-up behind eventual winner Jimmy Owili, who was crowned the league's best defender after an impressive debut campaign in the top flight.
The award attracted a highly competitive field, with Owili edging out Omar, his Mara Sugar teammate Robison Msungu, AFC Leopards defender Kayci Odhiambo, Shabana's Wycliffe Omondi and Gor Mahia's Paul Ochuoga.
Owili enjoyed a remarkable season, featuring in all 34 league matches, scoring three goals and providing nine assists, the highest assist tally in the campaign.
However, Omar was far from impressed with the outcome and openly questioned the basis upon which the winner was selected.
Speaking after the awards ceremony, the Harambee Stars defender argued that his overall contribution to Kenya Police's third-place finish in the campaign warranted recognition ahead of Owili.
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"Honestly, it is not nice. I believe I deserved to win the award, but at the end of the day, it is what it is. We need to look at the statistics because there is no day that assists become more important than goals.
Maybe it is happening in Kenya for the first time, but we need to pull up our socks because such decisions can easily demoralise players," said Omar.
He further insisted that the award should have gone either to himself or to Shabana defender Wycliffe Omondi.
"If it was not me, then Wycliffe Omondi deserved it. As defenders, you look at clean sheets, goals scored, and the number of goals conceded. There is no day that assists become more important than goals and defensive performances."
The experienced defender, who has spent nearly two decades in the game, also hinted at possible inconsistencies in the voting process.
"I have been in football for 18 years, and I have never seen assists ranked above goals and clean sheets for a defender. I don't know whether politics played a role behind the scenes, but the organisers need to do better.
When someone deserves recognition, give them their flowers. Decision-making should be strict and free from friendships," he added.
Omar's frustrations stem from what was an outstanding individual campaign.
The Kenya Police vice captain scored four goals, provided four assists, kept 18 clean sheets and collected ten Man of the Match awards while helping the 2025 FKF Premier League champions concede a league-low 21 goals throughout the season, the best-ranked defensive unit in the entire campaign.