Harun Shakava, Robert Kamura ‘top-notch’

Hull City development coach Daniel O’Keef is impressed with the quality of players selected to the SportPesa All Stars team that will travel to England next month for a match against the English Premier League side at KCOM Stadium on February 27.

O’Keef was particularly impressed with defenders Harun Shakava and Robert Kamura.

The Hull City coach, who left the country on Sunday, said that the two were the embodiment of what an African defender should be.

“The dynamics of the game are changing and it is no longer enough to just have the skill.  To succeed in modern football requires that you have a combination of tactical ability, physical endowment and then the skill and talent.

“Those two (Shakava and Kamura) have the perfect physique. They have the necessary height which many defenders lack. With the necessary training and diet, I think they can compete favourably against their colleagues who play in the English Premier League,” he said.

Together with fellow Hull City coaches Richard O’Donnelle, Terry Boyle and Dean Windass, O’Keefe was involved in the final selection of the 18-man Kenyan team.

They will travel to England on February 22 under Harambee Stars coach Stanley Okumbi. A return match is scheduled for July in Kenya.

The final shortlist was made public on Saturday at the Safaricom Stadium, Kasarani.

The team comprises only local based players who were part of a larger all-star team of 47 players scouted from all the 16 clubs who took part in the Kenyan Premier League last season.

The list was however trimmed over a period of two weeks by the four Hull City development coaches before arriving at the last 18.

Okumbi will take over the coaching duties from now henceforth, with Tusker’s team manager Neville Pudo being the team manager.