Kenya's coach boycotts training camp
KENYA'S coach, Antoine Hey, has continued to boycott the team's training in Nairobi for the second day running, citing the inclusion of two players he did not invite for the game against Nigeria.
The German, who took charge of the team in March, is protesting the presence of unattached midfielder Jamal Mohammed and defender Edgar Ochieng. The two are among four players called up by Football Kenya Limited (FKL) to boost the national squad ahead of its 2010 FIFA World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations group qualifier return match against Nigeria in Nairobi this weekend.
Last week, FKL First Vice Chairman, Titus Kasuve, and Second Vice Chairman, Erastus Okul, disturbed by Kenya's poor run in the World Cup qualifiers, called up Jamal, Ochieng, France-based striker Dennis Oliech, who plays for FC Auxerre, and midfielder Emmanuel Ake, who plies his trade in Denmark.
In FKL's view, Ake and Jamal are capable of filling the gap left by midfielders Robert Mambo and McDonald Mariga, who have been knocked out by injuries. Mariga turns out for Italian Serie A side, Parma, while former captain Mambo plays for Sweden's GIF Sundsvall.
But Hey is opposed to Jamal and Ochieng's presence, saying that they do not fit into his plans for the match against Nigeria. He boycotted the training session in Nairobi after differing with team manager Edward Oduor, who insisted that the players be included in the team as directed by the FKL.
One of the two deputy coaches who took charge on Monday, Twahir Muhidin, told Xinhua news agency that it was business as usual at the camp. He said: "We trained in the morning and are now gearing up for the afternoon session, morale is high in the camp and we are focused on our match against Nigeria."
Muhidin, the Kenyan that coached the national team in the past, said the playing unit and the technical bench were off the wrangles and focused on the match. The team had a full house as all the foreign-based players had reported to camp. The last to arrive were Oliech and veteran defender Musa Otieno, who plays for South Africa's Sanlan Santos. The pair jetted into the country on Monday night.
Kenya is lying at the bottom of the Group B table with three points. Tunisia leads the standings with 11 points, followed by Nigeria with nine, while Mozambique is third with four points.
The top team in each of Africa's five groups will qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while the first three book tickets to the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola.
