By Gilbert Wandera
Harambee Stars coach Adel Amrouche said his return to the technical bench during Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Malawi made all the difference in their 2-2 result.
Amrouche was suspended against Nigeria two weeks ago, but was allowed to come back against Malawi after serving his suspension.
“It made a difference having me on the bench. Sometimes the players need to hear my voice to push themselves and it worked,” he said when the team arrived from Malawi yesterday morning.
Amrouche, at the same time, said he was happy with the players for showing self-belief against Malawi.
“When we went to Malawi, we had a chat with the players and agreed that it was important to get a positive result away. We had lost at home against Nigeria and there was a need to turn it around.
“I told the players to remember that there are 40 million Kenyans back home looking up to them to make them happy,” said Amrouche.
He said the result against Malawi has put Kenya on the African map and expressed confidence they will no longer be looked down upon.
“We have done enough to earn the respect of other top teams in Africa. We will no longer be taken for granted from now on and we need to build on this success for the future,” Amrouche added.
The coach paid glowing tribute to players he had given a chance for the first time in the team and said they had worked hard to show they deserve the opportunity.
“Andrew Murunga scored a brilliant goal because we had worked with him very well during training and gave him the confidence to believe in himself.
“We also had a good show from Jamal Mohammed in midfield and Edwin Lavatsa in front. The local players have proved that we can build a good team,” he said.
A host of sponsors also turned up to welcome the team at a Nairobi Hotel. Pamela Njuguna from Credit Bank said the company will continue to help the team.
“Our support is for the long haul and we have made the decision to open an account for each of the team members and deposit Sh10,000,” she said.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) chairman, Sam Nyamweya, said they are fully behind the technical bench and the team and will continue to give them the best support.
“We are proud of your achievement over such a shot period of time. As a federation we will continue to give you support to scale even higher heights,” said Nyamweya.
