Former Harambee Stars keeper named coach in Sweden

• Origi has been unveiled as the club’s new goalkeeper coach
• He has played in Norway for most of his international career
• He starts the task immediately

Former Harambee Stars goalkeeper Arnold Origi has been named as the goalkeeper coach for Swedish second tier side Ostersunds FK, the club has announced.

The deal between Origi and the club has been finalized in Antalya, Turkey, where the team is currently in pre-season training.

“We are bringing in a very ambitious and goal-oriented goalkeeping coach who has a solid goalkeeping background with many matches at the highest level, including in Norwegian top football and in the Kenyan national team,” said Stefan Lundin, sporting director at Östersunds FK.

He added; “It feels very good that we have found a solution with Arnold and we look forward to seeing him contribute to the goalkeepers’ and the team’s further development.”

Origi, who holds dual Kenyan and Norwegian citizenship retired from international football last year and has been taking his coaching courses.

The former shotstopper was born in 1983 in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. From childhood, football has been a natural part of the family where both his father and uncles have represented the majority of clubs both in African, but also European football.

Arnold has mainly been active in Norwegian football, where during his career he belonged to clubs such as Lilleström, Helsingfors IF and Moss FK. There have also been a number of matches for Kenya’s men’s national football team.

Form friendship with coach 

It was during the time in Lillström that head coach Magnus Powell and Origi began a friendship that still lasts today.

He started his career in Kenya with Mathare United, where he played from 2001 to 2006 before moving briefly to 12-time FKF Premier League champions Tusker FC then made his first sojourn abroad.

He started off by joining Norwegian side Moss, where fellow Kenyan John Muiruri was already playing. After a short loan spell with Fredrikstad, and a brief stop at Ull/Kisa he joined Lillestrøm in 2013.

In January 2018, Origi was taken on trial by Premier League club Crystal Palace, but failed to gain a contract.

As a consequence of Origi’s trial at the British club, Lillestrøm had already found a replacement for him, Matvei Igonen. Therefore Origi and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract so he could still find a new club after the transfer window closed.

After signing with Kongsvinger in September 2018, he left the club again at the end of the year.

He went on to play for HISK in Finland for two seasonsm before turning out for Hodd where he concludedhis playing career.

Topsy turvy international career 

Origi has played over 45 international matches for Kenya, though the last four years of his international career were topsy-turvy especially after announcing he had taken up Norwegian citizenship.

Origi comes from a football family. His uncle Mike Origi was a professional footballer in Belgium. His father, Austin Oduor Origi, was a long term captain of Kenyan Premier League side Gor Mahia, and his other uncles Gerald and Anthony were defenders at Tusker.

His cousin Divock plays for AC Milan in Italy’s Seria A as well as the Belgium national team.