Harambee Stars coach Jacob “Ghost” Mulee is eager to have all the foreign-based players ahead of the back-to-back 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Comoros next month.
Mulee admitted that Kenya will be facing Comoros as the underdogs and will need to have all top players available for the crunch ties.
“We are facing a team entirely composed of players plying their trade in Europe. As a matter of fact they don’t have a domestic league in Comoros and we will therefore be going into this match a bit disadvantaged bearing in mind our local leagues haven’t been on for a while now,” Mulee said.
“We will therefore try to use the players that have been active. I will be very happy to have all the foreign-based players in the team – that would be perfect but if some are not available then we will go for a combination of those that will make it and some local players,” he added.
Comoros top Group G on four points, two ahead of second-placed Kenya while Egypt are third also on two points. Claude Le Roy's Togo are bottom with one point.
Foreign-based players called to the team include Finland-based custodian Arnold Origi who is making a return to the team after half a decade, defender Joseph Okumu who turns out for Elfsborg in Sweden, Eric “Marcelo” Ouma (AIK – Sweden), Eric Johanna (Jonkopings Sodra – Sweden), Ismael Gonzalez (UD Las Palmas – Spain), Victor Wanyama (Montreal impact - Canada), Anthony Akumu (Kaizer Chiefs – South Africa), Joash Onyango (Simba – Tanzania), Johanna Omolo (Cercle Brugge – Belgium), Michael Olunga (Kashiwa Reysol – Japan), Masud Juma (JS Kabylie – Algeria) and John Avire (Tanta – Egypt).
Mulee was speaking after leading the local-based players in his first training session at the Utalii Ground in Nairobi. He took over from Francis Kimanzi on October 21.
“I have been watching those (local players) in the domestic league and some in the continental assignments in the past and it was very exciting to train them for the first time as a coach. Of course it is a different ball game altogether since they have been inactive for a while,” he said.
“It was nice to beat Zambia in the friendly but now that is in the past. I want to see who will make the cut in the team to face Comoros.”
Kenya will welcome Comoros at home on November 11 before traveling to the Island nation for the return leg on November 15.
Meanwhile, Kenya Under-20 national team, The Rising Stars, has been pooled in Group C alongside Ethiopia and Sudan for the upcoming Cecafa U20 Championship set for Tanzania from November 22 to December 6.
Group A: Tanzania (Host), Rwanda, Somalia
Group B: Burundi, Eritrea, South Sudan, Uganda
Group C: Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan
The two top teams will proceed to the quarterfinals. Host Tanzania is the reigning champions having won the title in 2019.
