Docker Unauthorized: Authentication Required - Upon Push with Successful Login

While pushing the docker image (after successful login) from my host I am getting "unauthorized: authentication required".

Details below.

-bash-4.2# docker login --username=asamba --email=
WARNING: login credentials saved in /root/.docker/config.json
*Login Succeeded*
-bash-4.2#
-bash-4.2# docker push asamba/docker-whale

Do you really want to push to public registry? [y/n]: y
The push refers to a repository [ (len: 0)
faa2fa357a0e: Preparing
unauthorized: authentication required

• Docker version: 1.9.1 (both client and server)
• has the repo created as well (asamba/docker-whale).

The /var/log/messages shows 403, I dont know if this docker. See below.

Apr 16 11:39:03 localhost journal: time="2016-04-16T11:39:03.884872524Z" level=info msg="{Action=push, Username=asamba, LoginUID=1001, PID=2125}"
Apr 16 11:39:03 localhost journal: time="2016-04-16T11:39:03.884988574Z" level=error msg="Handler for POST /v1.21/images/asamba/docker-whale/push returned error: Error: Status 403 trying to push repository asamba/docker-whale to official registry: needs to be forced"
Apr 16 11:39:03 localhost journal: time="2016-04-16T11:39:03.885013241Z" level=error msg="HTTP Error" err="Error: Status 403 trying to push repository asamba/docker-whale to official registry: needs to be forced" statusCode=403
Apr 16 11:39:05 localhost journal: time="2016-04-16T11:39:05.420188969Z" level=info msg="{Action=push, Username=asamba, LoginUID=1001, PID=2125}"
Apr 16 11:39:06 localhost kernel: XFS (dm-4): Mounting V4 Filesystem
Apr 16 11:39:06 localhost kernel: XFS (dm-4): Ending clean mount
Apr 16 11:39:07 localhost kernel: XFS (dm-4): Unmounting Filesystem

Any help is appreciated, please let me know if you need further info. I did the push with -f as well. No luck!