Harambee Stars skipper and Qatar side Al Duahail forward Michael Olunga is on the verge of acquiring Swedish third tier football league club AFC Eskilstuna, according to reports out of Sweden.
Swedish publication Fotboll Direkt, reported that AFC Eskilstuna has had financial challenges and in need of a bail out. Fredrik De Ron revealed the Michael Olunga Foundation (MoFo) had approached the Swedish club with four million kroner (Ksh48,to pay off AFC’s debts.
MoFo is said to have been in contact with AFC Eskilstuna’s former sporting director Mikael Larsson who is expected to return to the post as sporting director if the deal is completed.
“Olunga’s involvement with AFC Eskilstuna is seen as an essential step for the development of his academy’s players, providing them with opportunities to gain international exposure,” Swedish publication Eskilstuna-Kuriren reported.
AFC Eskilstuna reportedly owes the municipality just over SEK500,000 (approximately Ksh6.4 million) and has been stopped from using municipal facilities.
In addition, the Agency for Growth requires the club to pay back SEK 3.3 million (Ksh41 million) after short-term support was paid out during the COVID-19 pandemic which the club is now required to return.
AFC Eskilstuna has a rich history of transformation.
Originally known as FC Café Opera and later Väsby United, the club underwent several changes before relocating to Eskilstuna in 2012, rebranding as AFC United, and eventually settling on the name AFC Eskilstuna in 2016.
They compete in Ettan, the third-highest division in Swedish football, and play their home games at Tunavallen, located approximately 110 kilometers west of Stockholm.
Olunga is not new to Sweden as he previously represented Djugardens IF, who has had a good relationship with Eskilstuna by offering them players on loan deals; Kenyan Frank Odhiambo being a beneficiary of this partnership. Apart from Odhiambo, former Tusker FC striker Henry Meja is also part of the team and scored his first goal for the club over the weekend.
