Mwendwa: I call no shots at Harambee Stars technical bench

Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa has strongly rebutted claims he has been giving orders on national team selections, in favuor of ‘his players’.

Since the appointment of Stanley Okumbi as the first coach, critics have blamed Mwendwa for influencing call-ups to the national senior side, saying the former Kariobangi Sharks tactician had no say in the team.

These rumours have swirled round throughout Okumbi’s troubled two-year stint at the helm of the team.

However, Mwendwa says his association with Sharks, a club he founded over 15 years ago, and which was previously coached by Okumbi, has been the basis of the ‘prejudice’.

“I can tell you for sure there has been no interference even when Stanley (Okumbi) was the head(coach of Harambee Stars). The problem is that I have come from a background of owning a club, so whenever a player from that club is called up, it is perceived my directive.

“People will always talk but we should honestly look at what the individual players are offering in their respective clubs,” Mwendwa said, putting up a robust defence of himself.

Last week, the federation chief picked Belgian Paul Put to lead the national side relegating Okumbi to the deputy’s role from whence he will play a support role.

Mwendwa, at the same time assured newly appointed head coach Put that he will have unparalleled independence as far us team selection and technical matters  is concerned.

“When you hire a coach of the calibre that we have now (Put), you cannot interfere with his decisions. It is actually in the contract.

“So he has full autonomy, even if he wants another coach say in the medical area that we have realized we are not doing so well in, we will just present budget to the ministry and do what we can do,” offered Mwendwa.

Mwendwa’s defence come in the wake of claims by former Stars coach Adel Amrouche that the federation chief was keen on interfering with team selection in the event he was handed the job.

According to the Belgian, the FKF chief would ask him to draft his players in the team even before he was elected as the FKF boss.

Sharks trio

This comes at a time that Okumbi, in probably his last call-ups  summoned Sharks trio Masoud Juma, Ovellah Ochieng and Patillah Omoto for the December Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup.

Among the three, Juma has been phenomenal in the recently concluded 2017 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season, scoring 17 goals to bag his maiden Golden Boot in the topflight.

In his debut for Stars against Sierra Leone in Free Town, critics questioned his first team place in the 2-1 loss that mathematically dented Stars 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification campaign.

Juma has however bounced back in big way scoring at will in the top flight campaign, with Cecafa offering him a platform to stamp his authority in the absence of foreign based stars, such as striker Michael ‘Micah’Olunga.

Additional reporting by Ernest Mkalla