481 300
Former striker Harambee Stars Boniface Ambani has told FKF President Nick Mwendwa to carry his cross after dismal performance.
Stars who were embarrassingly tossed out of the World Cup race set for Qatar next year lost 6-0 to Mali over two legs, the poor performance attracting the ire of football stakeholders.
Ambani has warned Mwendwa not to expect the Kenyan team to deliver over what he termed as ‘short cut decisions’ of firing and hiring coaches days to important fixtures.
According to the former AFC Leopards star, miracles are not found in football but good preparations and planning, if good results are to be expected.
“This issue of changing the national team coaches every now and then is something that the federation must look at and change tact. You appoint a coach and give him the task, say like a two or three-year-contract to put together his team but you can’t just appoint a coach a few days to important fixtures expecting him to guide Harambee Stars into miracle results!” He said.
Harambee Stars under head coach Engin Firat are placed fourth in Group E with a paltry two points with two matches left and even if they win all the remaining fixtures they cannot top the group.
Mali tops the standings on 10 points while Uganda are second on seven points.
After losing 0-5 and 0-1 in a two-leg fixture against Mali, Kenya’s dreams of gracing the World Cup finals are over.
“Our philosophy should also be based on whoever we are picking to lead our boys, and after this we can talk of results but not hurriedly appoint people without due process and give him the boys to squeeze victories from them.
It doesn’t work like that and this kind of short cut has no room in our modern day football,” lamented Ambani.
Kenya will next face Uganda Cranes in Kampala before winding up with Rwanda in Nairobi.