Turkish club Kocaelispor and Johanna Omolo mutually agree to terminate contract

Turkish club Kocaelispor and professional footballer Johanna Omolo have agreed to mutually terminate the player's contract, which was originally set to run until May 31, 2022.

The termination comes only days after the club was relegated from the Turkish Football Federation 1. Lig to the third tier. Kocaelispor finished 17th out of 19 with 41 points in the just-concluded season.

“The contract of our professional football player Johanna Ochieng Omolo, which will expire on May 31, 2022, has been mutually terminated,” the club revealed on their social media pages.

The 2002 Turkish cup winners had signed Omolo on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 as a free agent in a deal valued at an estimated sh56.1 million. He left his former club BB Erzurumspor following their relegation from the Turkish Super Ligue.

Istanbul, Turkey. - MAY 3: Johanna Omolo of BB Erzurumspor battles for posession with Mert Hakan Yandas of Fenerbahce SK during the Super Lig match between Fenerbahce and BB Erzurumspor at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on May 3, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by /BSR Agency/Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

Omolo left home at 17

According to reports from Turkish press, the deal saw Omolo earn around 31,000 Euros (Sh3.8 million) a month.

At 17, Omolo left home to play professional football in Europe in order to support his family. Over his 15 years as a professional, he has played in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Turkey.

He got his first call-up to the national team, Harambee Stars, in 2011, and was part of the squad that represented Kenya at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2019 in Egypt. At the tournament, Omolo famously scored in a 3-2 win over Tanzania although Kenya crashed out at the group stage.

Apart from Omolo, another player, whose contract was terminated, is Berkay Tolga Dabanli.

“The contract of our professional football player, Berkay Tolga Dabanlı, has been terminated by our club with the use of the right to relegation clause in his contract,” the statement concluded.