Blow to Stars as Origi set to miss Lesotho clash
Harambee Stars custodian Arnold Origi in action during a past match. Harambee Stars will be without star goalkeeper Arnold Origi when they begin their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Congo’s Red Devils away on Sunday. FILE PHOTO |
What you need to know:
- The Lillestrom shot stopper will be in action for his club on Sunday when they take on Vikings in a league encounter in Norway
- Origi now wants the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to set the qualifiers dates in tandem with the Fifa calendar in future.
- Amrouche will choose among Bandari’s Wilson Oburu, Gor Mahia’s long serving skipper Jerim Onyango and flamboyant AFC Leopards keeper Wycliffe Kasaya.
Harambee Stars have suffered a major blow ahead of this weekend’s African Cup of Nations second-round qualification first-leg preliminary tie against Lesotho, with experienced shot stopper Arnold Origi set to miss out due to club commitments.
The Lillestrom shot stopper will be in action for his club on Sunday when they take on Vikings in a league encounter in Norway and will therefore not be part of Adel Amrouche's Harambee Stars squad that face Lesotho away on the same day.
The soft spoken goalie — son of Kenya’s legendary forward Austin Oduor — also missed Stars first leg narrow 1-0 win over Comoros in May owing to similar commitments.
Origi now wants the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to set the qualifiers dates in tandem with the Fifa calendar in future.
“Caf should seriously think on how they plan and set up their fixtures. It's difficult to be released for games outside the dates set by Fifa for international matches. Really disappointed to be missing this weekend’s ACN qualifier,” he wrote on his official Facebook page on Tuesday.
LONG-SERVING KEEPER
The 30-year-old Norwegian-based custodian has been Harambee Stars safest pair of hands for the last decade and his absence will be highly felt in the contest.
The team will be hoping for a favourable outcome in Maseru when they lock horns this Sunday in order to boost their chances of making it to the group stage.
The tie will, however, be settled in Nairobi in the reverse fixture, with the aggregate winner joining Group C, which includes Gabon, Angola and Burkina Faso.
It is at this stage that the campaign for the continentals showpiece will hit top gear, with group leaders and runners-up joining hosts Morocco for the finals.
In Origi’s absence, Amrouche will choose among Bandari’s Wilson Oburu, Gor Mahia’s long-serving skipper Jerim Onyango and flamboyant AFC Leopards keeper Wycliffe Kasaya.
The team — which played out to a barren draw with Burundi in a friendly match in Nairobi on Tuesday — has been in residential training for the last one week as they sharpen their skills ahead of the Maseru clash.
Oburu was between the sticks during the goalless draw at Nyayo, where skipper Victor Wanyama was sent off for dissent by the centre referee just a few minutes after the Southampton midfielder joined the fray from the bench.
