Kenyan defender ditches Bundesliga club

Bundesliga club, Mainz 05 has announced that Kenyan defender, Philipp Mwene will leave the club at the end of the season after turning down a new contract offer.

Born in Vienna, Austria, Mwene holds dual citizenship of Kenya and Austria as he is born of a Kenyan father and a Kenyan mother. He recently got a call-up to the Austrian national team and he will be hoping to make it to the final squad that will represent the country at the 2020 Euros.

Mwene joined the club in 2018 from FC Kaiserslautern. A right-back primarily, the player has also featured as a left-back for Mainz this campaign and it just goes to show how versatile the 27-year old can be.

The club in a statement confirmed that the full-back who has played 30 competitive games for the team turned down a contract extension.

“Phillipp Mwene has not extended his expiring contract at Mainz 05 and will leave the Zerofivers. The 27-year-old Austrian, who arrived at Bruchweg from 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 2018, has played 30 competitive games for Mainz in three years,” the club said.

The club further revealed that they had initially reached an agreement with the player before he decided against staying put.

"We had already reached an agreement with Phillipp, however, he then decided otherwise before signing the contract. We regret this very much, but wish Phillipp all the best for his future and thank him for his commitment to Mainz 05," 05 sporting director Martin Schmidt told the club website.

It was initially thought that the player would welcome the idea of playing Kenya after being snubbed by Austria over the years despite featuring for the u19 and u21 teams. He however opted to wait for his opportunity with Austria which may come at the Euros.