Kenya: Oliech in Camp

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Francis Wadegu

23 June 2011

Harambee Stars captain opts to lead by example as he joins Kenya team camp.

Harambee Stars received a timely boost ahead of Saturday’s LG Cup friendly encounter with Sudan as AJ Auxerre striker and national team skipper Dennis Oliech linked up with his home based compatriots who continued their preparations for the weekend clash.”I must lead from the front as the team captain. That is why I will play the match even though I’m supposed to be on holiday,” said Oliech.

He, together with Czech based forward Patrick Oboya are the only European based players in the squad with Dennis Odhiambo of Pretoria University in South Africa another late call up to the squad.

Earlier coach Zedekiah “Zico” Otieno had been keen to restrict the sqaud to home based players but with another commitment coming up for the national under 23 side in an Olympic qualifier against Uganda, Zico had to turn to the foreign based players.

Sony Sugar’s Frederick Onyango, meanwhile, has been called up to replace Sofapaka’s Osborne Monday who has been ruled out of the match due to injury. The tickets fro the weekend action that will also see Ulinzi Stars and Western Stima battle it out for the Top Eight trophy went on sale yesterday at selected outlets around Nairobi. They will be sold at Sh500 for the VIP section and Sh200 for the terraces.

Sudan arrived on Tuesday and held their first training session at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Meanwhile national under 23 coach Leonard Saleh has refuted claims that there are overage players in his team that faces Uganda in an All Africa Games/Olympic Games qualifier this weekend.

Saleh said it was wrong for people to make such allegations without clarifying with the relevant institutions. “Tell me which player is overage in the team,” said Saleh. “We don’t have over aged players in the team and I would like anybody who has evidence about this to come forward and table it.”

On Tuesday, the presence of Innocent Mutiso of Mathare United was put into question prompting his club to counter the accusation by intimating that he is just one of the three over-aged players allowed to play in the team.This was as well a contradiction of the Olympic rules which state an overage player can only take part in the Olympics and not in the qualifying stages.

Saleh said all players in the team must be vetted by the age reflected on their passports and through their records at the Kenyan Premier League secretariat.

Kenya face Uganda on Saturday and seek to revive their hopes of playing in the competition which they have been disqualified from in the past due to age-cheating.

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