The Missing Stars In Our National 'Harambee' Football Team.

Stars Shining At Night | Courtesy of Pixabay.com

It is not only saddening, but equally heartbreaking for the ever supportive Kenyan football lovers whenever the National Team takes to the field for any serious football encounter. The end results have always been that: they either played so well but were finally beaten, or they just managed to salvage a draw.

If Gor Mahia football club had been able to win the African Football clubs championship over the years, then we must ask ourselves about who stole the Stars in our National Football Team.  What really went wrong over the years? Where did the rain start beating us from?

Our National football team is almost literally into 'a Harambee Team': There are always elaborate  plans towards D-Days of serious matches to source for funds from both public and private sectors, while putting little or no consideration into laying long term structures that may fully support the National Team. I may sound pessimistic, but we need to get out of this filthy dungeon. Yes we have waited for far too long. Our patience has outgrown into full blown ulcers. Our National Football Team players should not be reduced to football tourists across the African continent!

Lets help our Harambee football team find their missing Stars. But How?

• The Management of the National Team should create an open public door policy where they invite public opinion on the way forward. In a country where almost every one is a sports specialist, I am sure that they will get good public feedback that may effectively,  help turn around the fortunes of the National Football Team.

• The Jubilee Government promised state of the art stadiums around the country. The management of the National Team should partner with the Government to ensure that this is a reality. Good playing fields and training facilities helps in minimizing life threatening player injuries which often push the best football talents out of the scenes.

• Let’s be willing to pay the price. Players, Staffs and other relevant football stakeholders should be competitively rewarded. Other forms of rewards should be encouraged and practised more often, ie recommending players, staffs and other relevant football stake holders for government appointments or even offering scholarships or tourist related trips to some of the best performances in a given football season.

• The management of National Team should embrace the use of football scouts. We more often hire coaches under strict deadlines and give them limited time to put together a compatible football squad.  These coaches end up relying on the same player choices and line ups of their predecessors.

• Let’s use the winning strategy of Gor Mahia in the Nelson Mandela Cup as a case study for the National Team. We will always be Kenya and should not try to be like Brazil or England or any other football team. What worked for Gor Mahia should, without any difficulty work out for Harambee Stars. What is working out for football gurus like Spain may not effectively work out for our Harambee Stars.

• Lastly, but not least, all the football stake holders should borrow a leaf from Bees. Though tiny and without world class tools and equipments, Bees make honey. The world’s sweetest  food.  They first prepare a honey comb before preparing the real honey. They do this through commitment and coordination. Everyone knows their role and takes seriously, any responsibilities endowed on them. Cases of player misconducts, and or even Coach-Player bad relations should be discarded to the dustbin of history. Everyone should be committed and made to set their eyes on the ultimate prize of glory. Untill Harambee Stars  taste any glory, they will never know what they have been missing.

Let’s all join hands in helping our Harambee Football Team find their missing Stars. It Begins with You. Just play your part