Ouma confident of silencing Zambia in Olympics qualifier

Harambee Starlets head coach David Ouma is confident that his team will beat Shepolopolo of Zambia in the fourth round of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifier.

Kenya reached the fourth round after a 1-0 aggregate win over Ghana’s Black Queens on Tuesday; the first leg match having ended in a barren stalemate.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, Ouma expressed confidence of shining against their southern Africa opponents citing their ‘knowledge’ of the opponents.

“First I am very glad for wonders which my team has done in this qualifier journey. From the word go I believed in my team and here we are. Shepolopolo is a very tough opponent; we met them last year in friendly match and we emerged winners with a 3-0 margin.”

“I have streamed some of their qualifiers including the first leg of the third round against Botswana and I saw a lot of improvement on their side. From what I have seen,  my team will definitely beat them to qualify for the Olympics,” he said confidently.

Zambia qualified after defeating Botswana 2-0 at home having won the first leg 1-0 away to advance on a 3-0 aggregate.

A brace from Hellen Chanda put the Shepolopolo in pole position to make their first-ever Olympic appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Elsewhere, Starlets captain Dorcas Shikobe has urged the government to clear their unpaid allowances which date back to 2016 as a way of boosting their qualification morale.

“We have been suffering for long and the government hasn’t paid our allowances. They owe some huge amounts since 2016 when we last featured in the Awcon tournaments in Yaounde,” she observed.

“We have bills to pay, our siblings to take care of as well as our needs and I think it’s unfair for them to concentrate much with the men team. What a man can do a woman can do better, so let them show us full support for us to deliver,” added Shikobe.

The team will continue with their training camp in preparation for the leg tie slated for November 4 at Kasarani before meeting them eight days later in the return leg.

One team from Africa will automatically qualify for the Olympics while another will face Chile in the play-off.