Harambee
Starlets, the previously unknown quality of our footballing damsels are on the
brink of history today in Uganda; were 90 minutes from lifting the first-ever Council
for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), women’s category.
Cheered on
by a hundred fans who travelled to Uganda courtesy of Football Kenya Federation
(FKF) and SuperSport, our girls lost by 2-1 to Tanzania. A rather low moment to
cap a fantastic outing in the regional tourney.
Our ever-
disappointing team in the mound of Harambee Stars should sit back, watch and
learn a few critical lessons!
To say
Harambee Starlets have been magnificent is an under-statement. The girls have
been brilliant and are reaping the fruits of positivity, hard work and
self-belief!
They are
using the CECAFA tourney as part of the preparations for the African Cup of
Nations (AFCON), set for November in Cameroon.
They missed
out on the football party in the recent Rio Olympics after falling by two goals
to Banyana Banyana of South Africa!
The
achievements are something Harambee Stars can only dream of! The team finished
last in the Afcon qualifiers, was shamefully bundled out of the running for
Russia 2018 and has done nothing to make Kenyan football lovers happy!
Harambee
Stars lacks a winning mentality, best epitomized by the losses at home to the
likes of Equatorial Guinea, Lesotho and Zambia.
This is what
the Starlets can never be accused of! They bravely went to Algeria and got a
draw with the continental giants. They bravely lost narrowly to Banyana Banyana
in the Olympics qualifiers.
The girls
have a winning mentality, the self-belief that has placed them head and shoulders
above Harambee Stars.
Harambee
Starlets, despite achieving a near-stardom status amongst football lovers
across the country have maintained a cool head. They are firmly focused on the
task ahead, something that a section of our Harambee Stars lacks. How many times
have we seen our players partying ahead of crucial matches?
The girls
went Spain last month and shone at the COTIF Women Football Tournament,
finishing fourth. The ample preparations were part of the ongoing CECAFA and
upcoming Afcon championship in November.
Can FKF
organize high-profile build-ups for Harambee Stars and improve the team’s
technical and tactical prowess?
Perhaps this
will lift the team from its mediocre performances and slowly put it back to the
heights the team hit in the 80s and early 90s.
The girls’
success is a challenge to Harambee Stars on what donning the national colors
means and the responsibility that comes with it!
Harambee
Stars has a lucrative national league to bank on, has a near-fanatical fan base
and the players are well-paid, yet their performances on the pitch have been at
best miserable!
They are our
pride. A national team that despite lacking a robust national league to bank
on, has eclipsed the region and holds a candle to Africa’s best such as Super
Falcons, Banyana Banyana and Cameroon.
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