Hey: Return letters or lose place in team

Players from three Kenyan Premier League clubs have until Thursday to sign commitment letters with the national football team or risk being dropped.

Harambee Stars coach Antoine Hey says players from Thika United, Tusker and Mathare United have not returned their release letters from their clubs.

“They ought to have handed the letters to us by Thursday. If not, these players will be replaced,” the coach said.

“According to our manager, Thika United and Tusker players’ letters are on the way. But we’ve not heard from Mathare United yet.”

National team players were last week given commitment letters to take to their respective clubs as they left to feature in the league.

The clubs were to sign the letters acknowledging players were with them and also consenting they had been released to rejoin the camp at Moi International Sports Centre - Kasarani.

The three clubs have six players in the 23-man squad in camp.

They are David Okello and Crispin Olando (Thika United), Joseph Shikototi, John Njoroge and Fred Ajuang (Tusker) and Edgar Ochieng (Mathare United).

Ochieng, one of the country’s top central defenders, missed the Tunisia match at the Coca-Cola National Stadium because of another club-versus-country row.

The Stars lost the game 2-1, with the first goal coming as a result of an error by Edgar’s replacement, Pascal Ochieng of KCB.

Meanwhile, Hey has targeted at least four points from their next 2010 World Cup qualifying matches against Nigeria and Mozambique next month if the Stars are to go to South Africa.

The German tactician said: “Anything less will only give us an African Cup of Nations spot. It doesn’t matter who of the two gives us the one or three points. Any will do.”

Hey also ruled out any international friendlies before Kenya plays the Nigerian Super Eagles on June 7th in Lagos. The Stars will, however, play training games against local clubs.

Morale is high in the camp as the players look forward to the Nigeria trip.

Maurice Odhiambo, who plays for FC Moss in the Czech Republic, says the Stars are ready to take on the African soccer powerhouse.
“Nigeria is great, but it will be 11 men against 11 men on the field and we will go for it,” Odhiambo said on Tuesday.

Six foreign-based professional players are, meanwhile, expected to join the rest of the squad by May 30th, a week before the Nigeria tie.

Team captain Musa Otieno will, however, report to camp next Monday, according to coach Hey. Otieno plies his trade at the South African Premier League club Santos.

Other pros expected are 22-year-old MacDonald Mariga (Parma, Italy), Patrick Oboya (FK Siad Most, Czech Republic) and Dennis Oliech (AJ Auxere, France).