“Giving the devil his due” is what I will do today. Granted the young Football Kenya Federation (FKF) administration which came to power in February this year may have bitten more than they can chew by raising the expectations of Kenyan fans sky high and failing to manage them; but on two fronts, they have scored way above average and they deserve a pat on the back.
Organizing the two international friendlies against Tanzania on May 29 and versus Sudan two days later ahead of an AFCON 2017 qualifier return leg match against Congo Brazzaville was a campaign pledge they delivered on, and moving forward we would want to witness Stars play some more on the FIFA days.
They may not have been the best of friendlies in terms of quality considering both teams were ranked below Kenya at that time and their style of play were different from the Stars’ next opponent (Congo), they went along way in helping Head Coach Stanley Okumbi find a winning formula against Congo Brazzaville at Mois Sports Center Kasarani on Sunday – specifically in defense. And considering the team seldom played friendlies in the past, the move was in the right direction.
The build ups presented Okumbi with an opportunity to tinker with his back line before settling on Brian Mandela, David Owino, Eric Ouma, Musa Mohammed “wall of Berlin” which the “Red Devils” could not break – the formation was first used during the Sudan friendly.
Before he deployed a combination of Eugene Asike, David Owino, Aboud Omar, Jockins against Tanzania.
In the midfield, new call up Gonzalez Ismael Said was tried out against Sudan and impressed. He was handed a full debut against Congo and once more showed flashes of brilliance despite conceding a penalty and later being pulled out for seasoned Anthony Akumu. Leading Zambia Super League top scorer Jesse Were who plays for Zesco United also had his chance to prove critics wrong in the friendlies but failed and hence was relegated to the bench on Sunday with Djurgardene’s Michael Olunga being preferred in his place.
Only friendly matches presents a Coach with a chance to make mistakes and make amends; after all who could have imagined a 19 year old Eric Ouma “Marcelo” would stand up to big players like Thievy Bifouma and trouble Nganga on the left wing with his overlapping runs, if he wasn’t trusted with Sudan game.
The last round of the AFCON qualifiers fall in September with Kenya travelling to Zambia to face the Chipolopolo – good preparations coupled with more friendlies in between could see Stars pull another shock win and improve on their FIFA Ranking which stands at 129 currently. Another “Mercelo” could also be unearthed before then.
Also worth noting is that the national team is better treated; gone are the days they would stage go slows protesting unpaid allowances. The team put up at Utalii Hotel which also doubles up as their training ground (Utalii Ground) and with that Kenyans are no longer treated to depressing news of the national pride being locked out of Nyayo Stadium and them using swimming pool water to bathe et al.
“Pepea Card” (cashless payment) idea is brilliant and if fully adopted will be a great step towards accountability at the gate.
Having said all that I still hold that the Harambee Stars deserve a high profile coach of Claude Le Roy stature, a gaffer who can command respect across board and has a vast experience in Africa, that if we intend to grace the 2019 AFCON in Cameroon; I don’t think Kenyans can wait for World Cup 2022.
@bonfaceosano
