Besieged coach accuses biased official for loss

By Gilbert Wandera

National under-23 coach James Nandwa claimed that they were robbed in their friendly international against Egypt, where Kenya lost 5-0 played on Monday night in Doha, Qatar.

Speaking after arriving from Doha, Nandwa said their opponents scored only two genuine goals claiming the referee was biased and wanted Egypt to win at all costs.

"It was a match full of tension because we kept protesting at every point. The first goal was genuine, but the second which was through a penalty left a lot to be desired. It should not have counted in such a serious match," he said.

Nandwa further added that the sending off of Gor Mahia midfielder Teddy Akumu was also suspect and the resultant penalty kick from it disoriented his players and got them off the match.

Egypt’s Hosni Abd Rabo fights for the ball with Kenya’s Raphael Mungai Kiongera (left) and Mangoli Wanyama during their friendly match in Doha on Monday. [PHOTO: REUTERS]

Turning point

"The second half started very well for us because we were determined to get something from it but when Akumu was shown his marching orders and they were awarded a penalty, we lost our fighting spirit and there was no way we would come back from such a huge deficit," he revealed.

Apart from issues on the pitch, Nandwa admitted that the short period of training they had also affected the team together with absence of four players who could not travel because their names had been sent late to the organisers.

"It is a fact that we had not trained long but this was due to the fact that we were not sure whether the match is on or not. It was always on and off and we hesitated going into camp. I’m not blaming anyone for this because there is nothing that could be done about," he said.

Shocking result

The 5-0 loss was a shock to many considering that the same side had held Guinea 1-1 after going down 1-0 to Senegal prior to last month’s Africa Cup of Nations held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Just like it happened last month, the team was hastily assembled before flying out to Doha for the friendly which was initially to be honored by Harambee Stars who declined instead opting to concentrate on Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Meanwhile, Western Stima coach Henry Omino said their recent 1-0 win over Tusker has motivated the team and boosted their chances of finishing in a respectable position in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

Stima upset the KPL champions 1-0 last Wednesday at home and Omino also said it was a great pay back against a side that beat them last season.

"It was a tough match and could have gone either way but I thank my players for retaining their cool against a tough Tusker attack. They absorbed the pressure well and ensured we got all three points," he said.