Stars too bright for the Brave Warriors

McDonald Mariga in action during yesterday's clash at Kasarani "Kichinjio". Kenya beat Namibia 1-0

Harambee Stars beat Namibia's Brave Warriors 1-0 ending a twelve year losing streak against the Brave Warriors at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on Saturday. The win before a near capacity stadium, also put Stars at the top of Group Two in the World Cup/Africa Cup Nations qualifier on 10 points.

Guinea, who until Saturday were the group leaders with seven points, play Zimbabwe Sunday in another Group Two match.

The recalled Jamal "Malo Malo" Mohammed slotted home a 44th minute penalty awarded after Collin Benjamin hacked down John Njoroge to send the home fans into celebration.

Jamal "Malo Malo" Mohamed, scorer of the goal that sunk Namibia

The goal was a relief to thousands of fans who turned up to watch the game but were getting impatient with the blunt attack. The absence of suspended AJ Auxerre striker Dennis Oliech was clearly felt upfront with Stars lacking a hitman.
Mulinge Munandi, coming back to the team after a two year absence, made his presence felt in the fourth minute when he sent an inviting cross towards the Namibia goal, but Patrick Oboya, Macdonald Mariga and Allan Wanga were too late to tap the ball home.

Alan Wanga in action
FK Siad Most midfielder Patrick Oboya, who also came back to the team after a one match suspension, excited the fans with his deft footwork in the early exchanges of the game. In the sixth minute, captain Robert Mambo failed to score from a Njoroge cross.

Six minutes later, there was a scramble at the Namibian goal with both Wanga and Mambo failing to tap home the ball.

Paulus Shipanga’s dangerous free kick on the edge of Kenya’s goal was cleared by Munandi as the match crawled to the quarter hour mark. Three minutes later, the Brave Warriors forced a corner kick. On the other side of the pitch, Attel Mbaha in Namibia’s goal stretched to stop Mohammed in what should have been Stars’ opening goal.

The Kenyan attack was unrelenting with Wanga again nearly beating Mbaha in goal. Mohammed shot wide from the edge of Namibia’s goal as Benjamin, who turns out for German Bundesliga side Hamburg, had a weak shot at goal on the stroke of half time.

Line-ups: Kenya: Noah Ayuko, John Njoroge, Mulinge Munandi, George Owino, Edgar Ochieng, Austin Makacha, Jamal Mohammed (Kevin Ochieng), Macdonald Mariga, Robert Mambo, Allan Wanga (Francis Ouma), Patrick Oboya (Patrick Shikokoti).

Namibia: Attel Mbaha, Hummel George, Hartmann Twamboa, Richard Ganiseh, Stephen Gougab, Oliver Risser, Collin Benjamin, Paulus Shipanga, Sydney Plastfies, Quinton Jacobs, Wilko Risser

Kimanzi says Stars must beat Namibia

By Gilbert Wandera

Harambee Stars coach Francis Kimanzi has declared their clash against Namibia on Saturday as "a must win tie" saying they will not depend on the results between Zimbabwe and Guinea.

"We want to put our destiny in our own hands. And to do so, we must beat the Namibians on Saturday," Kimanzi said. "I know they have a new coach, which means they have a new way of thinking. That alone should make the clash difficult, but there are no two ways about it. We cannot afford to lose," he added.

Germinal Beerschot striker Victor Mugabe is unavailable for this weekend’s 2010 World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Namibia.

Mugabe was ruled out after he failed to link up with the rest of the squad at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

Harambee Stars head coach, Francis Kimanzi, revealed the player could not come to Nairobi following complications in his travel documents.

"Mugabe is not coming for the match although we had hoped to try him out. It is not a big blow to us since we have not used him in this campaign," said Kimanzi.

In the absence of Mugabe, Kimanzi has called up Mahakama striker, Francis Chinjili.

Contacted, Mugabe’s father, Noah Wanyama, said his son’s manager refused to release him for fear that he would not go back.

new contract

"There were fears that he may not return to Belgium and so his agents held on to him. He will be available for the Guinea match," said Wanyama.

Wanyama said having just signed a new contract with the Belgium club, the agents are keen that he plays his first match for the team in the next two weeks.

The Stars’ coach also downplayed the absence of AJ Auxerre striker, Dennis Oliech, who is suspended after picking two yellow cards during Guinea and Zimbabwe matches.

"We don’t focus on individuals but on the team as a whole. In the past, we have to do without key players," he said in reference to McDonald Mariga and Patrick Oboya, who missed the June 21 return match against Zimbabwe in Harare.

With three days before the match, Kimanzi has intensified his training, focussing on different departments of the team in training.

In the last two days, the team has had at least nine sessions starting at 6.30a.m. The sessions focus on the goalkeeping, defence, midfield and striking force separately with one session bringing together the whole team in the evening.

Kimanzi is equally excited about playing at Kasarani on Saturday saying it favours his side.

"When we played our first match in Namibia the stadium was smaller, but this time we want to double everything for them. The stadium is bigger with more fans and will give us space to play while being a disadvantage to our opponents who may not be used to such," he added.

Full house

Team captain Robert Mambo joined the team Tuesday morning as the camp registered a full house for the first time.

He came in a few hours after other foreign-based players, Mariga (Parma, Italy), George Owino (Yanga, Tanzania), Allan Wanga (Petro Atletico, Angola), Jamal Mohammed (Enkorrping, SK, Sweden) and Patrick Oboya (FK Siad Most, Czech).

KND sponsor Stars

Namibia coach says his team is under no pressure

New look Namibia squad to face Kenya named

By Ibra Khadudu

The 18 man Namibian squad to face Kenya this coming Saturday has been named.

New coach of the Brave Warriors Tom Saintfiet released the list on Sunday discarding a huge chunk of the initial 33 man list largely made up of local based players.

Saintfiet himself is one of the several changes in the squad having replaced fired Arie Schans, the coach who led the Brave Warriors over Kenya in Nairobi.

The final squad includes close to 10 South African based players as well as German based duo of Collin Benjamin and Wilko Risser who play for Hamburg Sv and Eintracht Fc respectively.

Oliver Risser who scored the first goal against Kenya in the first qualifier in Windhoek on May 31st is in the squad. With Risser, Attiel Mbaha, Richard Gariseb, Quinton Jacobs and Lazarus Kaimbi are the only five survivors of the triumphant squad over Kenya.

Coach Saintfiet has however left out Costa Kaiseb the man who scored an 89th minute goal that sunk and embarrassed Kenya in that game that ended 2-1. Jeremiah Baisako, Hartman Toromba, Maleagi Ngarizemo, Michael Piennar and Brian Brendell who were part of the winning squad as well as subs Efraim Tjihonge, Tuegela Tuyeni, Jacob Pineas and Rudolph Bester will also not be visiting Nairobi when the Namibian team jets in today.

Since beating Kenya, Namibia has gone three games without a win after loosing the next three games to Zimbabwe (twice) and to Guinea.

On the other hand, Kenya has neither lost nor conceded a goal since jetting out of Windhoek. Kenya beat both Guinea and Zimbabwe with identical 2-0 wins and drew 0-0 with Zimbabwe in the last game. Kenya is second in Group 2 tied with Guinea on seven points while Namibia is rock bottom at fourth with three points. Zimbabwe are third on five points.

Complete Squad

Goalkeepers: Athiel Mbaha (Maritzburg United, SA), Abisai 'Zico' Shanin Gayamwe (Jomo Cosmos, SA)

Defenders: George Hummel (Jomo Cosmos, SA), Steven Goagab (Carara Kicks), Ivan Namaseb (Fc Ak, SA), Hartmann Toromba (Free State Stars, SA) & Richard Gariseb (Bidvest Wits, SA)

Midfielders: Quinton Jacobs (Jomo Cosmos, SA), Paulus Shipanga (Bay United Fc), Rudi Louw (Unattached), Sidney Plaatjies (Mamelodi Sundowns, SA) & Levis 'Meraai' Swatrbooi (Primero Da Agosto, Angola), Oliver Risser (Cloppenburg) & Lazarus Kaimbi (Jomo Cosmos, SA)

Strikers: Collin Benjamin - pictured (Hamburg Sv, Germany), Wilko Risser (Eintracht Fc, Germany), Costa Khaiseb (Fc Ak, SA) & Rudolf Bester (Cukaricki)

Stars in camp for Namibia clash

Jamal Mohamed, an exciting midfielder with Swedish club Enskoping is one of the inclusions in a 25-man squad Kenya announced to prepare for their September 6 2010 World Cup/African Nations Cup qualifying match with Namibia in Nairobi.

Mohamed last played for Kenya in December 2007, during the East and Central Africa Challenge Cup in Tanzania. Then, he was with Ghanaian club, Liberty Professionals. When the cup qualifiers started this year, new Kenya coach Francis Kimanzi did not pick Mohamed because he [the coach] said he had no idea in which country or club the player was.

The Kenya Football Federation (KFF) secretary general Sammy Obingo on Wednesday announced the squad and the Kenyan Premier League (KPL), who have been temporarily managing the Harambee Stars jointly with the KFF said the squad would report on August 25 at the training camp at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

KPL�s Technical Officer, Frank Okoth, also indicated that the crucial qualifying match will be at the Moi International Sports Centre on September 6, and apparently not at Nyayo National Stadium as previously widely believed.

Domestic club players will be released to play for their respective sides in KPL League matches on the weekend of August 30 and 31, Okoth said.

Goalkeeper Arnold Origi who was injured in Kenya�s 2-0 defeat of Zimbabwe in Nairobi during the June qualifying series is out of the squad together with Kenya�s best forward Dennis Oliech who will miss the September match through suspension. Oliech took his second yellow card in the 0-0 draw in Kenya�s last match with Zimbabwe in Harare.

Young Victor Mugabe, brother of midfielder MacDonald Mariga, has earned a call-up. Mugabe joined Belgian club Germina Beerschot as soon as he was identified as prospective key member of the national team but was unavailable thereafter.

Notable omissions is Moses Odhiambo of Rwanda club APR and Boniface Ambani the striker with Tanzania champions Young Africans.

A complete new call-up is Evans Amoka of Ulinzi Stars while Mulinge Munandi, the ex-Tusker defender now at Ulinzi, who last played for the Harambee Stars in the 2006 African Nations Cup qualifiers is back.

The Kenya squad: 1. Noah Ayuko (Sher Karuturi), 2. Jackton Odhiambo (Gor Mahia), 3. Duncan Ochieng' (Mathare United), 4. John Njoroge (Tusker), 5. Edgar "Fighter" Ochieng' (Mathare United), 6. Anthony Kimani (Mathare United), 7. Lloyd Wahome (Mathare United), 8. George Owino (Young Africans), 9.Victor Mugabe (Germinal Beerschot FC, Belgium), 10. MacDonald Mariga (Parma, Italy), 11. Evans Amuoka (Ulinzi Stars), 12. Osborne Monday (Tusker), 13. Jockins Atudo (Sony Sugar), 14. Jamal Mohamed (Eskopings, Sweden), 15. Robert Mambo (GIF Sundsvall, Sweden), 16. Austin Makacha (Mathare United), 17. Titus Mulama (Norway), 18. Patrick Oboya (Siad Most, Czech Republic), 19. Allan Wanga (Petro de Luanda, Angola), 20. Abdrew Oyombe (Gor Mahia), 21. Joseph Shikokoti (Tusker), 22. Mulinge Munandi (Ulinzi Stars), 23. Levi Muaka (World Hope), 24. Kevin Ochieng' (Mathare United), 25. Francis Ouma (Mathare United).

Coach -Francis Kimanzi