EXCLUSIVE: Amrouche back as Stars head coach

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has bowed to public pressure and re-appointed Belgian Adel Amrouche as the head coach of Harambee Stars in a bid to save face after the appointment of Stanley Okumbi whipped up a storm of condemnation following the country’s limp exit from the 2017 AFCON finals.

Citizen Digital can exclusively report that Amrouche is back barely two years after being shown the door after Kenya lost 1-0 to Lesotho on aggregate in the 2015 AFCONs.

The deal was sealed on Wednesday and our source reveals that the Government was instrumental in the re-hiring of the Belgian tactician.

“FKF basically had no choice. Amrouche has a water tight case at FIFA and it was going to cost the country USD1.2m (Ksh121,421,400.00) in damages if the case was to go the full length. The coach offered to take his job  back as a way of settlement out of court,” the source said.

Amrouche is remembered for the famous 2013 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup that Kenya won on home soil. His record is also impressive as he never lost a single of the 12 games he was in charge of Kenya.

The Belgian could not be reached for comment and the FKF declined to comment on the issue.

Amrouche who has been in the country for the last fortnight will lead the technical bench of that has Okumbi, Musa Otieno and Frank Ouna as first, second and third coaches.

Lately, he has been posting photos of his time with a team on his official Facebook wall in what was an encrypted message of his impending return with players liking his posts as he traveled round the country in the company of his predecessor and friend, Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee.

The Belgian and Okumbi watched Harambee Starlets qualify to the 2016 CAF Africa Women’s Championships finals in Cameroon together as a long-suffering football nation finally celebrated success on the pitch.

The heroines held Algeria to a 1-1 draw to advance on away goals after their two-legged clash ended 3-3 on aggregate.

Okumbi, the former Kariobangi Sharks and Mathare United boss accused dark forces among a clique of elite local football coaches of engineering the huge backlash against him and his side since he took over as  Stars first coach following two damaging home and away defeats to Guinea Bissau that effectively ended 2017 Gabon AFCON qualifications hopes.

He experienced a difficult time at Nyayo National Stadium on March 27 when Stars succumbed to the painful 1-0 home defeat as angry fans who caused a lengthy stoppage chanted; “Okumbi must go!” with riots breaking out on the stands.

“This is a war between me, young coaches and the so called elite group, because they feel that they deserve the chance to coach because they are senior or experienced. They don’t appreciate maybe the youth coach can coach, but for me am composed and not worried,” Okumbi told Citizen Digital at the time.

FKF president, Nick Mwendwa, staunchly defended Okumbi whom he hired at Sharks insisting he was staying put but after the high of Starlets qualifying for the Women’s AFCON, his administration that also came under fire for the appointment and influence in the starting line-up of the senior men’s team is keen to stem the wave of negative public opinion.