- A win against Malawi books them a slot in the final
- Zambia face Zimbabwe in the other match
- Coach Firat dropped two players due to discipline
National football team Harambee Stars will take on Malawi in their opening match of the four-nations invitational tournament in Lilongwe. This will be a vital game for Kenya and especially head coach Engin Firat who will have to use several new faces in the squad due to injuries.
He has been forced to call in new left backs in the 11th hour, with Gor Mahia’s Geoffrey Onyango and AFC Leopards’ Vincent Mahiga coming in to join the team in Lilongwe.
Usual starter Eric Ouma is out for a month and a half due to a muscular injury while Aboud Omar, who had also been part of the initial team was dropped just before travel over indiscipline issues.
The Kenya Police FC left back was dropped alongside Romania-based Eric Johannah after an alleged physical altercation between the two at the team’s hotel, just before they travelled to Malawi.
A source in the team intimated that an argument between the two turned physical and they had to be separated by coaches and teammates, prompting Firat to throw both of them out of the camp.
With Abud as the only natural left back in the team, the coach had to make quick additions with Onyango and Mahiga coming in.
The Harambee Stars backline also faces some fitness issues, with Joseph Okumu, who plays for Reims in France, just returning from an injury lay off, while Daniel Anyembe, has also just returned from injury.
Harambee Stars coach remains hopeful
Harambee Stars players during a training session
But despite the woes, the coach remains hopeful they will give a good account of themselves.
“We have trained well and prepared well. Everyone is focused and we hope to do a good game in Malawi. Of course we are looking at June and the World Cup qualifiers coming up and we have to give a chance to as many players as possible to see if they can add on to the main team we have,” the coach said.
Meanwhile, Harambee Stars skipper Michael Olunga is optimistic that the team will do well in the tournament, as they focus on the next round of World Cup qualifiers in June.
“This is going to be a good platform for preparation if you look at the calibre of teams we will play. Zambia and Zimbabwe are really good teams which compete at the AFCON every edition. Malawi are the hosts and will definitely pose a good challenge for us,” Olunga says.
He adds; “If we dream of playing in the big tournaments, we have to always try and compete in foreign soil and not just play, but compete to win and get a good result which is important.”
The forward himself has faced a difficult period over the last few national team games, and the fact that he is just returning from a two-month injury lay off does not help matters, but says he is ready to show what he can do.
Injury problems behind
Harambee Stars players during a training session
“As a player of course when you are laid off because of injury, it is always a difficult moment. But I am delighted that I have returned and the last few games have been good with the club and I have scored some goals so hopefully I can continued in that same form again,” says Olunga.
The captain also believes the tournament will give the coach a good opportunity to further measure up his Harambee Stars squad, and says those given a chance should take it with both hands.
“It gives the coach an opportunity to look at different kinds of players and also seeing there are many local based players, it is a chance to get international exposure. It is a good opportunity to gauge them on the international level because it is different from the league,” adds Olunga.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login