Harambee Stars: The Way Forward
All said and done, Harambee Stars is still a shining beacon of hope for the country's soccer. Forget about those yearning for the days when Kenya was the shining force of CECAFA tournaments. Kenya is still a force to reckon with in continental soccer. It is the highest ranked team in East Africa and has come a long way up the African ladder where it is in the continent's top twenty team list(no .17 in Africa and 
no 80 worldwide according to FIFA ranking) It shares the same rank with Algeria and is directly below Ghana. Somehow we have managed to remain a respectable force to all opponents we meet.
Yet the team is still facing serious pitfalls as it seeks honour for the country. Kenya's soccer authorities, it seems, are not keen to manage the team properly. Players go without allowances and the team is constantly locked out of training facilities like Kasarani over unpaid bills. We were recently in the news for all the wrong reasons when striker Dennis Oliech refused to travel with the team to Guinea over an unpaid allowance totalling 130,000 shs.
Despite all the inimical conditions the team is forced to operate under, it has bravely fought better prepared opponents. In its last match, it squeezed a draw against Morocco's Atlas Lions, a team feared across the continent (as it is one of the top four African teams according to 2005 Fifa rankings).
We cannot rely on the goodwill of the players and the coaches alone. KFF must ensure that the team is well provided for and given adequate preparations for top flight football. Captain Musa Otieno, striker Dennis Oliech and other professionals should not be forced to dig into their pockets to come home. They should not be locked out of Kasarani for any reason other than security. How can a team be stopped from training just because KFF has not paid bills to the stadium's management. The KFF should also know that fund raisers can never sustain a game for long. Sports is naturally an expensive undertaking considering the travel involved. With proper management, the KFF can do a good job. They'd better start doing that right away.
no 80 worldwide according to FIFA ranking) It shares the same rank with Algeria and is directly below Ghana. Somehow we have managed to remain a respectable force to all opponents we meet.Yet the team is still facing serious pitfalls as it seeks honour for the country. Kenya's soccer authorities, it seems, are not keen to manage the team properly. Players go without allowances and the team is constantly locked out of training facilities like Kasarani over unpaid bills. We were recently in the news for all the wrong reasons when striker Dennis Oliech refused to travel with the team to Guinea over an unpaid allowance totalling 130,000 shs.
Despite all the inimical conditions the team is forced to operate under, it has bravely fought better prepared opponents. In its last match, it squeezed a draw against Morocco's Atlas Lions, a team feared across the continent (as it is one of the top four African teams according to 2005 Fifa rankings).
We cannot rely on the goodwill of the players and the coaches alone. KFF must ensure that the team is well provided for and given adequate preparations for top flight football. Captain Musa Otieno, striker Dennis Oliech and other professionals should not be forced to dig into their pockets to come home. They should not be locked out of Kasarani for any reason other than security. How can a team be stopped from training just because KFF has not paid bills to the stadium's management. The KFF should also know that fund raisers can never sustain a game for long. Sports is naturally an expensive undertaking considering the travel involved. With proper management, the KFF can do a good job. They'd better start doing that right away.
posted by Kelele Leo @ 4:06 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home