Kenya Football .:. Story - Change Tact: Mulemi Gregory

CHANGE TACT MULEMI 14TH FEB

PEOPLE, 2010 is proving to be another year of high expectations in Kenya’s sporting industry, but will last year’s shortcomings in the soccer field haunt us this year?

Macdonald Mariga’s failure to sign for Manchester city at the close of the January transfer window is one case of a good deal turned sour but what is the positive thing about this? One thing that all Kenyans must agree is that Mariga’s deal was perhaps the sweetest he would have ever wished to have. For any footballer, even a local one, one wishes to play for Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

This is because these are clubs with unrivaled histories and a great future. Signing for Inter could have been seen as a desperate move but the fact is that he will play more high profile matches than he would have done for Manchester city.

Inter are in the UEFA champions league, leading the serie A and by the way, how many African stars have gotten the chance to play for top sides like Inter? Victor Obinna Nsofor is a great striker but Jose Mourinho had to send him on loan to Spain because he could not compete for a place with the likes of Samuel Etoo, Diego Milito and Wesley Sjneider.

That aside it is encouraging that at least Kenya has appeared on the global scene in a positive way and rather another discipline apart from the all time athletics and the fast improving 7-aside rugby.

As a matter of fact, many footballers in the country are longing for that time Arsene Wenger and company will come calling on their doorstep but sincerely, in Kenya today, who maintains that high level of discipline as Mariga?

Last December, Kenya hosted the 28th edition of the cecafa senior challenge cup and many Kenyans were sure of Harambee stars wrecking havoc by clinching the coveted title.

Expectations were short-lived as the usual suspects; Uganda cranes upset local boys 1-0 in the quarter finals and go ahead to clinch the title for a record 11th time. Indeed this is not a performance we expected from local boys especially after putting up a sterling performance against super eagles at kasarani but who is to blame here, is it coach twahir muhidin, the players or the demotivating fans?

The day before the quarter finals, I happened to be at the orange cecafa press conference and Harambee stars coach Twahir Muhidin was optimistic that the team was in good spirit and was going to win the match and he had released the players to go for a Sunday prayer.

I was surprised to find some of this players taking advantage of the situation by going to local pubs mostly in Nairobi’s Eastland’s area. As a matter of fact, this is one of the cases of indiscipline that needs to be addressed if the national team is to get out of the shameful position 112 in the current FIFA rankings.

This year many Kenyan fans will be anticipating for new change in the handling of football affairs in the country with all due respect, let’s join hands in cracking down all those who use the football platform to make an illegal living. Organizing of friendly matches is something that Football Kenya limited should take with caution and make the matches known to Kenyans.

Moments before the immediate former Harambee stars coach Antoine abandoned his duties as the national team coach, it was claimed that he was at logger heads with the FKL over the unpaid dues after the hurriedly organized friendly match against Kuwait in Egypt.

Stars lost the match by 5-0 and this raised eyebrows and such performances should be discouraged al all cost this year. According to kenyafootball.com, the match raised around 50,000 dollars and the coach and players were not paid there dues.

Payment of players’ dues should not affect stars this year for this has been the problem year in year out, what happened to the Harambee stars trust fund, the SMS service and other promotions that were meant to solicit fund for the team? It is clear that if these services were properly managed and put in place, Harambee stars would not be playing low profile international friendly matches as to benefit a cliché of individuals in the country’s football governing body.

In 2008, the country was at position 68 in the FIFA rankings thanks to a sterling performance during the first phase of the 2010 Africa cup cum world cup qualifiers in which stars finished second behind Guineas’ syli stars. Things have not been at the best since then and the failure of MacDonald Mariga to join the elite at the city of Manchester has been compounded by this.
It is the duty of both parties to reach a consensus and agree on the way forward for football in the country.

Kalusha Bwalya is the federation chief in Zambia and with his understanding of the sport, he has managed to revive the national team and it had a sterling performance in the just concluded AFCON in Angola. Perhaps former Kenyan internationals should take over the running of soccer in the country. Let KFF and FKL save Kenyans from further embarrassment sduring the august transfer period lest we want the prime minister to intervene again.

Many Kenyans were hoping that Wilberforce imbalambala would help restore Kenya’s pride in soccer after the 3-1 drubbing of banks of Ethiopia
, as un expected ingwe conceded two late goals to send them packing out of Africa’s second premier club competition-the confederations club championship. Sofapaka on the other hand had little to smile about after bowing out to the Egyptian wave by going down 2-0 to Ismailia. When are we going to change these problems in soccer in the country?

Kenyans are a little bit impatient and that’s why many shall keep on going to pubs to watch the much talked about English premier league and Spanish la liga.

As the national soccer team prepares to face the walya antelopes of Ethiopia in the Africa cup of nations for home based players, focus should now shift to how to get Kenyans out of this slumber and get it done since most of the players have participated at the big stage the latest being the international friendly match against Cameroon in January. To avoid criticism, let the boys work out and work out positively.

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