Kimanzi dares officials to sack him

There was disquiet over the management of the Harambee Stars on Saturday when head coach Francis Kimanzi dared his employers to fire him as a row brewed over the national football team’s friendly match against Egypt in Cairo next week.

Kimanzi, who led a makeshift side to the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup final in which they lost 1-0 to hosts Uganda in Kampala last Tuesday, said he was not consulted over the Cairo friendly and said he would step down if forced to put together a side to play the African champions.

Kimanzi argues that his bench was not consulted when the friendly was penned and that it would hurt Kenya’s reputation and lead to a further drop in the country’s world ranking if a half-baked team made the trip to Cairo.

Champions League

The Stars’ coach said the bulk of his squad had joined the Dar es salaam Young Africans (Yanga) and Mathare United camps as both teams prepare to play in the African Champions League this month.

Mathare United play Zambia’s Zesco United in the opening match of the Champions League on January 31 while Yanga, with its stellar cast of Kenyan internationals - Joseph Shikokoti, John Njoroge, George Owino, Mike Baraza and Boniface Ambani - are up against Etoile d’Or Mirontsy of the Comoros islands.

Mathare’s current Kenya internationals are goalkeeper Duncan Ochieng, defenders Edgar Ochieng and Anthony Kimani and midfielders Austin Makacha and Kevin Ochieng.

Kimanzi also refused to approve friendlies organised in Spain and Yemen in the last two months on the basis they were put together without his approval as head coach and fell outside Fifa’s window for international friendlies.

Release players

“I told them I could not release players for the friendly match (against a lower league club side) in Spain as we were preparing for the Challenge Cup,” an irate Kimanzi explained yesterday.

“Fifa rules are clear about dates for international friendlies and clubs will not be willing to release players for friendlies that are outside Fifa’s approved calendar dates,” Kimanzi, who doubles up as Kenyan Premier League champions, Mathare United, coach said.

“I intended to have the team play build-up matches next month and in early March to prepare for our 2010 World Cup qualifier against Tunisia later in March,” Kimanzi said.

“Where in the world have you seen federation officials organising friendly matches without the consent of the national team’s technical bench, Kimanzi questioned.

“I told them (FKL) that my stand is simple - that the technical bench will decide on which friendly matches are to be played and when. If they want to have it their way, then I will simply take a walk.

“We have a very good team that if we had a supportive federation, then we will definitely beat Tunisia and be in a position to take all the points in our home matches against any opposition.”

Football Kenya Limited, who contracted Kimanzi last month, remained tight-lipped over the national football crisis with chairman Mohammed Hatimy referring Sunday Nation questions to FKL’s chief executive Sammy Obingo.

“I’m currently in Rwanda for the Africa Under-20 Championships. You should direct your questions to Obingo who has all the information,” Hatimy said.

When contacted, Obingo said he would address a press conference on Sunday.

Obingo sent a one-paragraph statement to the media yesterday saying: “There will be a press conference tomorrow, (Sunday 18th January, 2009) at Lilian Towers Hotel at 11 am to address the emerging scenario at the Harambee Stars Technical Bench.”

It is not clear what decision the FKL officials have taken although sources yesterday intimated that there was a possibility of them assembling a Harambee Stars squad in the absence of Kimanzi for the Cairo friendly.

John “Bobby” Ogolla, a former assistant coach at Stars under German Reinhard Fabisch, and currently Sofapaka FC’s assistant coach, and Sony FC coach Francis Baraza are said to have been approached to be Kimanzi’s stand-ins.

The Stars start their campaign for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Nations Cup finals with a home game on March 28 against Tunisia.

The other teams in the group are former Africa champions Nigeria and Mozambique.

The Kenyan team that was in Uganda for the Challenge Cup is:

Goalkeepers: Noah Ayuko, (Sher Karuturi), Duncan Ochieng (Mathare United); Defenders: Joseph Shikokoti (Yanga), Edgar Ochieng (Mathare United), Anthony Kimani (Mathare United), John Njoroge (Yanga ), George Owino (Yanga), James Ndeto (Ulinzi Stars);

Midfielders: Kevin Ochieng (Mathare United), Osborne Monday (Azam FC), Austin Makacha (Mathare United), Ali Breik (Bandari), Joseph Njuguna (Tusker), Abdi Simba (Bandari);

Strikers: Francis Ouma (Azam FC), Francis Ochieng (Ulinzi Stars) and Mike Baraza (Yanga).