Put has seen all sides of football management in Africa: The Belgian has faith Kenya can make good strides

PAUL PUTT New head coach for Harambee Stars Paul Putt at the goal project FkF office on Nov 23, 2017. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Coach for hapless Harambee Stars has mountain to climb

Unveiled one week ago amid much fanfare, the magnitude of what awaits Paul Put was revealed on Thursday when news filtered in that Harambee Stars had dropped a massive nine places in the latest Fifa rankings.

But the 61-year-old Belgian national says he has seen worse and is up-to the challenge of turning around the fortunes of hapless Harambee stars, Kenya's national team.

Having spent close to a decade in Africa, Put has seen the worst of football management on the continent but has somehow managed to flow against the tide and bring out the best with what he had.

Success in Burkina Faso

“When I took over in Burkina Faso in 2011, the fans were highly disillusioned, some players were even afraid of being called up for national team duty but we changed all that,” he says.

Under Put, Burkina Faso reached the final of the Africa Cup of  Nations held in South Africa where they lost to Nigeria by a goal.

“We can do it with Kenya as well. The most important thing is to be able to get everyone around the team but at the same time I am no microwave (oven). It will take time but I remain very confident we can do it,” he adds.

Before going to Burkina Faso, Put had worked in the Gambia where he helped the team qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008 - another first for the tiny West African nation that borders Senegal.

While in Gambia, he also worked with the Gambia under-17 national team who won the Africa championships in 2009 and made it to the under-17 World Cup the same year. They were knocked out in the group stages.

“I had a three-year contract to work in the Gambia but by the time this was up, they asked me to stay for ten more years and so you never know, it may be the same with Kenya,” he reveals.

Put admits he does not know much about Kenyan football but believes having worked with English-speaking players has given him an idea about the mentality of local players.

Harambee Stars coach Paul Put

He believes that in a country of over 40 million people, he will find the talent needed to turn around the fortunes of a team that struggles to qualify for major tournaments and last made an appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations finals 13 years ago, in Tunisia.

“I will spend a lot of time going around the country to see local players.

"I believe that there is talent in Kenya and someone just needs to go out there and get it. Victor Wanyama comes from here and we need to find more like him to work in this project.”

With former head coach Stanley Okumbi expected to be in-charge of the team for this year’s CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup which starts next weekend, the Belgian says this tournament gives him a perfect opportunity to see local players in action.

“During the regional tournament, I will see the local players and give my input.”

Fixing the misfiring Harambee Stars forward line will be a priority for Put. Since Dennis Oliech retired two years ago, Stars have not had a consistent player they can count on to score and this was one of the frustrations expressed by Okumbi.

Put has a ready answer for this: ”It does not require a miracle to fix this. Sometimes all you need to do is to give your players the confidence or maybe just change their mentality. While at it, you also have to ensure that the team creates enough chances.”

Given his success in other African countries, Put believes that a lot must be done in ensuring that a team performs well and is glad that he has been given the necessary assurance by those who run football in Kenya.

“There are many things that must be put in place to ensure that a team succeeds.

“Compared to Europe, there is a lot that needs to be done in Africa like having the right infrastructure and I am glad that Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Government have the vision and commitment to ensure we have the right conditions for success.

“This is key and it gives me a lot of confidence to give my best to Kenya in the two years that I will be here,” Put says.

Strict coach

As to what the players can expect from him, he was forthright: “I am a very strict coach and I love to be a father figure to the players but I demand everything from them. With me, you are either in the boat or not.”

The Belgian seems to understand well the kind of doors having a close relationship with the Government can open and ensure success. He has been keen on forging such relations everywhere he has worked.

“The former Gambian President Yaya Jammneh honoured me for the great work we did in the country. While in Jordan, I also had a great relationship with Prince Ali who was the Football Association president and the brother of the King. It helped to open a lot of doors.”

Before coming to Kenya, Put was head coach of USM Alger which reached the semi-finals of this year’s continental champions league. Despite his success with the club, the coach admits that he always wanted to work with a national team and so, when Kenya came calling, he accepted the challenge.

“Working with a club has its own pressures because of the demands it places on you every week. The pressure at the national team is a bit different because you carry the aspirations of a whole country and the feeling is greater when you succeed.

“This was one of the biggest motivations for me in deciding to come to Kenya. I want to have the same success I have had with Burkina Faso, Gambia and Jordan," he says.

An unmarried father of one, Put has been away from Belgium for long periods with his 16-year-old daughter occasionally visiting him in the various African countries he has worked in.

Calming you down

“I have just one daughter. I have no brothers and sisters and this makes it easier for me to be away from home. My only daughter gets to visit occasionally and by now she has got used to the long absence as she understands that I have to do my job.”

Put says he is already in love with Kenya having spent a few days in Mombasa when he arrived.

“Working along the Coast has a way of calming you down especially when you are employed as a coach and it was exciting spending a few days in Mombasa last week.”

But with most glittering career, there are always moments that one would rather forget and for Put, it is the allegations of match-fixing that dogged his early career in Belgium.