No residential camp for Harambee Stars ahead of Ethiopia ties

There will be no residential camp for Harambee Stars as the team prepares for next week’s crucial 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification double header against Ethiopia.

The potentially devastating break in tradition has been informed by a severe cash crunch at Football Kenya Federation and government’s failure to chip in for this particular assignment.

In the new arrangement, local based players, who reported to camp on Wednesday, will be training at the Utalii grounds every morning and returning to their respective residence until October 6 when they travel to Ethiopia.

They will be joined by the foreign-based legion before the away match which has been scheduled for October 10 in Bahir Dar, some 320 kilometres away from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

By midday Wednesday, this plan was still in jeopardy as FKF was yet to receive the players’ travel tickets from the Ministry of Sports.

Addressing the matter, Sports Principal Secretary Kirimi Kaberia said that as compared to other federations, FKF has claimed a huge chunk of the ministry’s budgets over the last two years, and that an internal rationalisation of procedures and harmonisation of funds allocation is currently ongoing at the ministry.

Kaberia however assured the public that the players’ tickets will be dispatched in good time.

“There is no problem at all but you see, we do not have an endless supply of money. We have found out that about 60-65 per cent of our budgets in the last quarter have funded football activities and that is a very high amount. If you see the numbers you will be surprised,” he said. "But we appreciate the role of football in this country and I promise that the team will travel in good time. There are procedures to be followed in releasing funds for those tickets so we are calling for patience."

Stars are expected to face the Walya Antelopes in Bahir Dar and Nairobi on October 10 and 13 respectively, with aim of qualifying for the continental football championship for the first time in 14 years.

Stars will be buoyed by the historic 1-0 win over Ghana in Nairobi last month, although they need to swat aside Ethiopia in both ties to enhance their chances of securing a place in next year's showpiece which will be held in Cameroon.

Squad:

Goalkeepers:

Patrick Matasi (Tusker, Kenya), Farouk Shikalo (Bandari, Kenya)

Defenders:

Philemon Otieno (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Jockins Atudo (Posta Rangers, Kenya), Musa Mohammed (Nkana FC, Zambia), Brian Mandela (Maritzburg FC, South Africa), Abud Omar (Cercle Brugge, Belgium), David Ochieng (IF Brommapojkarna, Sweden), Erick Ouma (Vasalund, Sweden), Joseph Okumu (Real Monarchs, USA)

Midfielders:

Dennis Odhiambo (Sofapaka, Kenya), Francis Kahata (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Ismael Gonzales (Las Palmas, Spain), Victor Wanyama (Tottenham Hotspurs, England), Anthony Akumu (Zesco, Zambia), Johanna Omollo (Cercle Brugge, Belgium), Paul Were (FC Kaisar, Kazakhstan)

Forwards:

Piston Mutamba (Sofapaka, Kenya), Michael Olunga (Kashiwa Reysol, Japan), Eric Johanna (IF Brommapojkarna, Sweden), Ovella Ochieng (Vasalund, Sweden)