'Shape up or ship out!' Harambee Stars coach warns Gor Mahia star

Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has said that he will not tolerate indiscipline in the national team.

Addressing the press at a Nairobi hotel on Tuesday, Firat said that he left out Austine Odhiambo from the provisional squad currently preparing for the upcoming four-nation tournament in Malawi due to indiscipline.

The coach had come under sharp criticism over his decision not to call up the on-form Gor Mahia attacking midfielder. 

"I will not allow anyone to make discipline a problem in my team. Nobody is so important to have a special place in any national team,” said Firat.

He explained that Odhiambo feigned sickness to miss their friendly match against Qatar last year. 

“He sent a message to the team manger that he is suffering malaria. Next we saw him playing for Gor Mahia and he was the scorer in that match,” lamented the Turk, hinting that he will only allow the player back to the squad once he has apologised.

After Benson Omala, Odhiambo is the player who has netted most goals for Gor in the ongoing Football Kenya Federation Premier League at seven. Omala tops with 11.

Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the teams, which will compete in the four-nation tournament that starts Saturday and ends Thursday. 

The tournament’s format comprises semi-final matches, where the victors of each match will advance to the final, while the losing teams will compete in a third-place play-off encounter.

Stars will open their campaign against Malawi on Saturday at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe. Firat has said that he will use the upcoming four-nation tournament to try new strategies and players.

Goalkeeper Bonphas Munyasa, winger  Shariff Musa, midfielders Chris Erambo, David Sakwa, Kaycie Odhiambo and Scotland-based striker Jonah Ayunga are the new faces in the provisional squad that has since Sunday been in camp preparing for the tournament. 

“We will try some new faces and some new options because for me it is still the process of making a team. Football is not all about 11 players,” said Firat, adding that in calling many new players into the squad, he hopes to create a big pool to select players from. 

He spoke on Tuesday during a press briefing at a Nairobi Hotel. 

Firat said that the new young players in the squad have since outgrown fear and are ready for the tournament. 

“I have to say that I’m very happy about them. I really wished they had gone through the Under-16, 18 or 20, so that they come here (national senior team) with a lot of experience,” said the coach. 

He revealed that he could be without some key players due to injuries. 

They include; defenders Dennis Ng’ang’a, Joseph Okumu and Daniel Anyembe.

“If you are the home team, you have a lot of advantages, Zambia is a very strong team and Zimbabwe is also very good, therefore it will be a very tough challenge. This tournament will help new players a lot to get experience,” said the Turk. 

Ayunga said that should he be given a chance to play in the tournament, he will give his best with the hope of earning more call-ups. 

“This is a great opportunity, hopefully I will impress the coach and play in the tournament. My focus is to give my best in the tournament and earn myself the right to come in June,” said the striker.

Kenya doesn’t have any serious football assignments until June 3 when they will be hosting Burundi for the Group 'F', 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. 

Gambia, Seychelles, Gabon and the reigning African champions Cote D’Ivoire are the other teams in Group 'F'. 

In their two opening matches of the pool held in November, Kenya lost 2-1 to hosts Gabon but bounced back with a 5-0 rout over Seychelles.

Firat reiterated that he expects his side to perform well in the World Cup qualifiers if they are full house and prepare well.

“If all the boys will be ready and we have good preparations, why should we not make a surprise against the biggest teams in Africa?" posed the coach, adding that he hopes Nyayo National Stadium will be ready to host the key matches. 

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Fixtures

Saturday

Zambia v Zimbabwe Bingu National Stadium, 2pm

Malawi v Kenya Bingu National Stadium, 2pm

Tuesday

Third place play-off | Loser Match 1 v Loser Match 2 Bingu National Stadium, 2pm

Thursday

Final | Winner Match 1 v Winner Match 2 | Bingu National Stadium, 5pm