HARD LESSONS FOR KENYAN SOCCER

Has Kenya learnt the ‘Hard-Hard‘ lessons of political soccer or politics in soccer?

If not it is thus time to re-forcus on the previously held torunament in Africa to learn why we need not play soccer with our mouths,fingers and pockets at the expense of ‘boots’.

If Africa Cup of Nations tournament was National Geographic, the nature magazine with its wonders and surprises, would have proposed the taming and caging of Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions.
The team’s coach as a man with his circus rolling spins of Germany, Oto Pfister has a choice of going back to the jungle for more Lions or to get a ticket back to Germany.

Back in Africa soil away from his Turkey’s Galatasary club as a defender, the 33yr old indomitable Lions captain, Rigobert Bahanang Song’s roars and purring only cost him and his team the meal of the day. He literally missed to gobble up some hare from Egypt. Though hard tackling and manning the gates of the circus soccer park of the 2007 Africa Cup of Nations Cup, his timing error downplayed the significance and talent he previously bragged of for over a decade (since 2000).
Not forgetting that he started his hunting skills on the International pitch while he was only 17yrs. This was at the World Cup in the US in 1994.

Come the waves of the Nile, the Pharaohs with their hunting, Hassan Shehata and Shawky Gharib, as coach and assistant coach, have since been along the soccer pyramids since the year 2005. The coach being a former International player himself is worldly believed to be a strategist and tactician of ball on grass. Born in 1949, he still has hopes of keeping his Pharaoh medal for times to come.

Interestingly, my hero, apart from Mohammed Aboutreika (Abou Treika), the mid-fielder who pushed forward for a single score to win the cup, is non other than Essam El Hadary, Pharaohs goalie and who is the team’s oldest player and soccer dispenser.
The more than aggressive and agile34yr old goalie had previously been voted Africa’s best goalie in 2006. Though he had made his debut for the Pharaohs since 1996.

A sterning twelve (12) years and closer to perfection when it comes to manning the goal posts and managing his defenders. His other local club, Al Ahly, Egypt’s top club was brought to fame in the face of Africa from the years 2000 to 2007 under his tactical leadership as captain.

Though, the Pharaohs edged Sudan three goals to nil (3-0), drew with Zambia (1-1-) and dismantled Cote d’voire by three goals (4-1) before lifting the trophy on their last match that the won against the team. Egypt has a history of winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 1957,1959, 1986,1998, 2006 and 2008. This is against Cameroon’s four wins in 1984,1988,2000 and 2002.

As I spill more coffee beans from some Ghanian granery to pour the ready made Cappuccino coffee on the winning cup of the tournament, one commentator stated that apart from Egyptian players being born good, “clinical efficiency in the attack was another of their attribute”. I agree and with some great coffee to it.

So clinical was Mohammed Abou’s reception, touch and placement that doctors of the pitch had to revisit their soccer Merck Manuals for dear tactical solace.

Personally, I strongly believe that the Al Ahly’s star had with him a thermometer, stethoscope, protractor and windsock apart from other gadgets that helped him create balance between his defenders and attackers and for him to get the right answer to the calculative pitch that the rest, including spectators were working on. As I check on my 2006 calender details they remind me that ‘Abou’ with Pharaoh squad had on the same year won the Africa Nations’s Cup in Cairo, his motherland.

May be my assumption was that it was due to home advantage though, at times, fate to win is buried deep in the pyramids. They just as good as their feet, possession and control.

For ‘Ghost’ Mulle, what options does Kenyan have for the 2010-Africa Cup of Nations Cup in Angola?

Should we blame our ‘national and soccer’ politics or do we seek, sooner than later for a ‘mediator and team of Eminent Persons’ from FIFA to help bring reconciliation and peace in managing soccer nationally?

Do we deserve soccer-friendly sanctions to be imposed on us to help KFF shape up and drape up?

From cutting funds t running soccer programmes at all levels or just keep our players at ‘refugee camps’ at Nyayo, City and Kasarani Stadia!….Any lessons learnt yet?