Kimanzi’s remarks were in bad taste

Someone tell Francis Kimanzi that the foreign players at Gor Mahia are not responsible for his not-so-attractive performance as a coach.

A few weeks back in a thinly-veiled attack on Gor Mahia, the Tusker FC coach went ballistic saying the proliferation of foreign players in Kenyan football was not good for the country’s football development.

Although he later beat a hasty retreat saying that his comments were aimed at no club in particular and that he was looking for the greater good of Kenyan football, Kimanzi is on record talking of Gor Mahia and my advise to him is that he should stop.

Here is what he was quoted as saying: “Our national champions Gor Mahia are doing well at the regional championships in Tanzania but the unfortunate thing is that their first team squad is largely made up of foreign players.

“That is why we should not be surprised by the performance of Harambee Stars. In my opinion, the rule allowing clubs to register five players should be scrapped. This is a huge number and is almost half of the number of players allowed.”

Let us get things clear at this point. Like Kimanzi, I am also concerned at the dismaying performances the national team churns out game after game.

However, I do not, like Kimanzi, hold the myopic view that it is only the influx of foreign players that is responsible for this sad state of affairs.

To begin with, the rot that is football administration in Kenya is an open secret.

If you take time to watch the national secondary school football championships, you will agree with me that at that level we have world class players.

What have the Kimanzis of this world done to nurture this talent and showcase it at the national level?

If you are a keen follower of Gor Mahia you will know that the club has always had a contingent of foreign - or foreign born - players. Outright I can name people Abbey ‘Odero’ Nasur who was Ugandan. So was Timothy Ayieko, who although traced his roots in Nyakach in Kisumu County, was Ugandan through and thorough.

TUSKER 'REJECTS'

Many also believed that the late Abbas Khamis Magongo ‘Zamalek’, ball maestro, was from Tanzania.

While making the reference to Gor Mahia, Kimanzi somehow conveniently forgot to mention that in the current contingent are some players he chased away from Tusker.

That such Tusker ‘rejects’ are now blooming at K’Ogalo lends truth to the Biblical line that the stone that was cast away by the builders has become the cornerstone.

Here, I have in mind players such as goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch and Ali Hassan Abondo.

So Bwana Kimanzi, leave us out of your frustrations of poor performances and concentrate on what your employer pays you to do - win matches.