Migne starts Ethiopia preps with Flames test
What you need to know:
- Migne took issue with the absence of some key players in camp
- This will be the second assignment in five days for Harambee Stars
- The last meeting between these two teams was in April last year in yet another friendly
EATAs he leads Harambee Stars in a friendly match against Malawi on Tuesday at the Moi International Sports Center in Kasarani, Harambee Stars coach Sebastien Migne is not a happy man.
The Frenchman, who guided Kenya to a delightful 1-0 win over Ghana last Saturday, has in the last one week expressed displeasure with a number of issues that happened in the run up to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Ghana.
Saturday’s win over Ghana revived Kenya’s hopes of qualifying for next year's Afcon to be played in Cameroon, and saw Football Kenya Federation (FKF) reward the playing unit with Sh2 million.
On the third day of Harambee Stars' training last Tuesday, Migne took issue with the absence of some key players in camp, especially captain Victor Wanyama who is battling a recurring knee injury and who has featured sparingly for his English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur club this season.
His most elaborate display of displeasure however came on Saturday afternoon when he refused to take questions and walked out on the post-match press conference following Harambee Stars 1-0 triumph over Ghana.
This was after he had criticised members of the playing unit who failed to turn up for national team duty a second time and after bemoaning Sports Kenya’s move to allow Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions access to the Kasarani Stadium pitch for training while denying Harambee Stars the same privilege.
“I saw Cameroon training in this field (Kasarani) and not us, who were at Monetary School (KSMS). It is not possible to work like that if we want to perform at the high level. I am not a liar and I am not happy at all. I want to keep calm, quiet, but I need to think about the future,” he said before walking out on journalists.
Malawi national football team players warm up during their training session at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on September 11, 2018 in preparation for their friendly against Kenya's Harambee Stars. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |
On Tuesday however, the 45 year-old Migne will have to put his discontentment aside as he leads his charges against The Flames of Malawi in an international friendly match.
This will be the second assignment in five days for the senior national team who beat Ghana 1-0 on Saturday to rise to second in Group ‘F’ thereby reviving their chances of making a return to the continental tourney they last featured in 2004.
Kenya plays Ethiopia in the qualifiers away in Addis Ababa on October 10 and host the Walya Antelopes in Nairobi for the return fixture on October 14.
Malawi, who fell 3-0 to Morocco in a Group “B” qualifier last weekend, are ranked 123rd globally, 11 places below Kenya.
The two sides have met 47 times in history, with Stars winning 13 times against Malawi’s 20. In their last five encounters however, Stars drew three times against the Flames and won once.
The last meeting between these two teams was in April last year in yet another friendly match which ended in a barren stalemate.
The Flames arrived in the country early Monday morning, and had a light afternoon session at Kasarani.
