Crestfallen Stars return for second G. Bissau test

Crestfallen Stars return for second G. Bissau test

Crestfallen and downcast, beaten national football team, Harambee Stars returned to the country on Thursday evening after their 1-0 loss to Guinea Bissau ahead of Sunday’s return 2017 AFCON qualifier against them in Nairobi.

At the same time, Paul Were, the Greek based FC Kalloni winger is available for selection on Sunday and he is already in the squad after missing Wednesday’s clash.

Upon landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Stars captain, Victor Wanyama and first coach Stanley Okumbi downplayed the loss offering the team will rally to revive their sinking hopes of returning to the Nations Cup finals in Gabon by beating the team that outclassed them in Bissau on Wednesday.

“It’s not good we lost. We lost because of poor concentration. We started well but lost concentration and gave them an easy goal. Everyone has learnt from that and I hope it won’t happen again. If the concentration is high and we score goals, we will get there.

“We have a chance but it’s difficult to qualify since it will depend on the other teams. The important thing is to start winning the remaining games. I don’t thing coming late led us to lose, it was all about concentration. It’s hard for players to get used to a new coach at the start, it will take some time but that’s not an excuse to lose the points we lost yesterday.

“We need to work hard and win Sunday’s match. We did not score, that was the problem,” Wanyama said refusing to be drawn into the controversial selection of second-tier players, Patillah Omoto and striker Ovela Ochieng of Kariobangi Sharks and instead directing the matter to first coach, Stanley Okumbi.

“To be honest, we dominated possession at some point and for me it was not a bad performance. I went with the players I thought would help us on the day since some players were not at the fitness levels we are used to see them,” Okumbi added in explaining why the likes of the more experienced David King’atua did not start.

“It was not a mistake, I started my best 11, the important thing is to focus on the next match,” the new Stars tactacian who lost on his debut scoffed when pressed on the reason why he seemingly played the likes of James Situma and Musa Mohammed out of position.

“That is the future of the national team. We cannot be playing the same players over and over, we will lose some young players and if we start playing them early, they will gain the experience everyone desires,” the former Mathare United and Sharks boss shot back at journalists who sought to understand why he trusted the untested duo for such an important fixture with Kenya’s qualification hopes for a first AFCON final since 2004 at stake.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss, Nick Mwendwa, who alongside Okumbi endured a stinging backlash for the debatable selection and loss mounted a spirited defense of his man and the team.

“For us, one month and 13 days later, (it) is a good experience bearing in mind midweek fixture away in West Africa, six players joining us and two no able to train with team. They only got one chance and scored. We got many chances and we did not score.

“We need to go through a process, not an event to get to where we are going and if we are not prepared for that process, then we are gonna suffer a lot. I’m happy we are talking about the football, not the other stories. Before I would sit here and talk about other stories,” Mwendwa spoke as he sought to draw positives from the setback.

He then turned on critics who tore into the coach and the team for playing the duo from the National Super League club that until February 10 when he was elected as FKF chief, held the post of chairman.

“When you lose, there are some people, let me say people have their say. I’m satisfied on how we played. They are here this Sunday let’s work on that. At no time I promised Kenyans and I will not promise again, there will be results this year or next year we need to go back and prepare. We shall ensure players have no longer have problems like they had before and from there, we shall prepare to have the Under 17s and Under 20s do a good job

“As a fan, even I had a say on how I wanted the team to run. We have a good technical bench, we are lacking in some areas on the pitch because for years we have not built and we acknowledge so. Let’s go back to the kids. If you fear introducing good, young talented players, then you have a problem because how do you develop the next level,” he stressed.

Mwendwa was categorical Omoto and Ochieng deserved to be in the side despite the feeling they were thrown at the deep end of the pool and sent out to do a man’s job in Bissau following the loss that left Kenya rock bottom in Group E with only a point, three adrift of their Sunday opponents with Congo Brazzaville and Zambia jointed top with five.

“There is a risk of course when you play a young player. You need to note we only had one player who had never been there before-Ovela Ochieng- (Patillah) Omoto, (David) King’atua have been in this team before. Ochieng I think he did well, some people can say they come from Kariobangi Sharks and all this kind of stuff, look every Kenyan has a right to be in this team.

“Whether you come from Border Lions FC or Gor Mahia, if you have the quality to be in the national team, we shall consider you.”

Mwendwa announced he would soon travel and secure a ‘seasoned’ technical director from Germany, not for the national team but to develop the structures to solve the chronic problems on the pitch in Kenyan football citing the left back position as an example.

“That is not only a problem with the Stars alone but also, the whole football set up. We are coming from a bad time where nothing was done to improve the game,” he pinpointed in a dig at the previous FKF administration led by the man he beat to the top job, Sam Nyamweya.

The wave of optimism that came with the election of Mwendwa as the new FKF president was quickly blown away by the loss although some retain faith that the ‘Team Change’ administration will haul the country’s football from the abysss.

Before and after the match, hot debate among Kenyans went viral with questions raised over team selection especially the inclusion Omotto and Ochieng.

 

Tags:

Nick Mwendwa FKF Michael Olunga Harambee Stars Victor Wanyama Guinea Bissau Stanley Okumbi Jesse Were 2017 AFCON qualifiers

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories