Harambee Stars need support of local clubs

Harambee Stars [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

It has been an active week for the national football team Harambee Stars. Last weekend, the team played two build-up matches against Swaziland and Equatorial Guinea. This coming weekend, Harambee Stars will be in India for a four-nation tournament featuring New Zealand, India and Chinese Taipei.

Despite the national team’s need for international exposure, it is regrettable that some premier league clubs have chosen to withdraw their best players from the national team's squad headed to India. 

Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards football clubs recalled their players, opting to focus on league fixtures. While it is the right of every club to keep its players, we opine that national duty takes precedence over club duty. As matters stand, to conclude that those clubs that withdrew their players are sabotaging the national team seems the easy thing to do. These friendly matches are crucial for Harambee Stars and new coach Sebastian Migne, as he builds a formidable team for the up-coming 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon.

Harambee Stars last played in this competition in 2004. Part of the reasons for the lengthy hiatus is poor preparations by the national team, and this includes lack of friendly matches.

Now that the FKF administration is organising friendly matches for Harambee Stars, the best that clubs can do is support this effort. When the national team does well, clubs will no doubt also do well, because their players will be experienced. Let’s support the national team in this noble endeavor.