By Keke Roy

The Democratic Republic of Congo are the 2016 CHAN Champions after humiliating Mali by 3 goals to nil, thanks to a brace by Meshack Elia and a late goal by Jonathan Bolingi. This means that the Central African country grabbed their second CHAN trophy, the only team to have achieved that feat. However, once again, Kenyans were just spectators and most people followed the proceedings from the comfort of their local pubs or living rooms. Again! The incumbent FKF president Sam Nyamweya, together with the Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario, was present to receive the hosting flag for the 2018 tourney. Sounds interesting? Really? Does it mean that Kenya cannot qualify for the continental tournaments without the privilege of being hosts? We have been reduced to believe so because we don’t learn, but only redo the same things every year. As a result, the following are some of the lessons that we should learn from the 2016 CHAN championships.

Support of the local clubs in International and Regional tournaments

TP Mazembe SC is the 2016 African Club Champions and the country comprised of most players drawn from the team. The implication is that the players are well versed with the task of taking on players from other leagues across the continent. The federation should learn that it receives players from the local clubs to feature in the international games. As a result, it would be vital to support the clubs in preparation and other logistical areas to enable them prosper in the CAF or CECAFA games. A case in point is last year when Gor Mahia was going for the CECAFA Club Championships in Tanzania. The federation deliberately refused to pay for the team’s flight tickets to Dar es Salaam. How can a federation expect its local players to perform better in the international or regional matches, if it subjects them to psychological torture and do not want to support them?

Players’ Motivation

In Kenya, a national team player is entitled to a token of 5000 shillings as a daily training allowance when in camp, which normally delays. This means that there are no match/winning allowances or anything called motivation if the local politicians do not chip in to offer the same. In some countries, players are sure of their allowances and winning bonuses and this boosts the morale in camp. Motivation also entails paying for services in good time to avoid last minute embarrassments or sabotages by the technical bench or players. We are tired of players being locked out of their hotel rooms, within and outside the country, as if they are orphans or homeless persons. There are also instances when the federation officials go AWOL and no information is forthcoming from them whenever the team is in crisis or need support from them. It is very shameful for a national team to be locked out from using stadium facilities because the federation has failed to pay for the facilities.

Early Preparations

The notion of only training for three and expecting to beat teams that have camped in foreign countries for over one month is ill informed. I tend to believe that the federation encourages such shoddy preparations in order to cut on the allowance costs given to players. Preparations also entail taking part in international friendly matches instead of subjecting new call up to play debut matches in competitive games. It is only in Kenya where a new player in the team will play his first match by featuring in a competitive fixture or against the local teams like Ligi Ndogo or Talanta FC. Timely preparations attract high funding and commitment, but helps in bonding and strengthening of weaker departments that need repairs before a competitive match. It also helps a player to gain experience by playing in high profile friendly matches against foreign teams.

Build a Rapport with the Fans

Rwandan fans deserve a trophy for their overwhelming support in this year’s CHAN competition. They filled the stadia in almost all matches across the country and there were very limited incidences of crowd trouble, even when the team lost games. The fans have confident in their team and they believe that they can do better despite the hiccups. The Kenyan federation should also build a good rapport with the fans to attract more of them into the stadia, especially against the perceived “small” teams. It is sad that local corporate do not want to associate with the federation and this reduces funding and publicity initiatives that can sponsor more fans to access the venues.

Establish Youth Structures and National Philosophies

National team comprises of players from various leagues, most of them from the KPL teams while some from the lower tier teams. The players are used to different styles of play and football formations. It is very sad that the country do not have a common philosophy or youth structures where youngsters can be nurtured. We cannot claim of experience if the coaches keep on recycling players who have very little to offer to the national team. A good thing would be to invest in the school co-curricular activities to help in instilling national philosophies that can be brought up to the senior teams. It is essential to note that change cannot start from the top level downwards, bit vice versa. If we can train the school boys/girls on a common system, then it can be easier to incorporate them into the top-flight level.

2018 is just around the corner and we should start preparations as soon as tomorrow to ensure that the players are well oiled for the task ahead. I hope the opportunity will allow our players to improve on their abilities and experience.

The writer is just a local football enthusiast who claims to know something, but knows nothing. He is here to share and learn something.

E-mail; rkeke2@gmail.com

Twitter: @IAmKekeRoy

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com