Olawale Ajimotokan
13 January 2009
Lagos — Super Eagles technical crew appears to be playing the dangerous game of underestimating the capability of the enemy, once again.
Kenya's Harambee Stars, one of the teams the Super Eagles must have to vanquish in Group B to get the lone ticket of the group to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, are not being considered worthy enough to be taken seriously on the eve of the qualifying campaign.
The Harambee Stars completed their run in the East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) Senior Challenge series going on in Uganda yesterday night when they lost 1-0 to the home team, the Uganda Cranes in the final match.
The championship canvass should have been a good spying premise for a serious coaching crew of an opposing team. But since the competition began in Uganda two weeks ago, the Super Eagles' team of handlers has not deemed it fit to have an eye planted on it.
The Harambee Stars reached the final after a bruising encounter with the Taifa Stars of Tanzania in the semifinal, on Sunday, winning 2-1. Nigeria will host Kenya in Abuja in June.
A senior official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), who begged anonymity said at the weekend that the omission was actually to be considered a technical lapse on the part of the coaches of the team. He said he was taking that stance because he knew that the head of the Super Eagles' technical team, Shaibu Amodu, did not table any request to the federation, asking to be allowed to travel to the competition, or that one of his colleagues be sent to take stock of standards there.
He said: "I agree we should have had somebody on ground in Kampala monitoring the Kenyans at the CECAFA Cup. But I am not sure a request for such was ever made by the Eagles coaching crew. It is a decision that should originate from them. We can say this is an unfortunate situation that we have failed to take advantage of this soft gift".
Amodu returned to his duty post in Abuja, only last week, Wednesday, after going to his home in Edo State to spend the Yuletide and New Year with his family.
Harambee Stars, coached by Francis Kimanzi, by their display at the CECAFA championship, have shown they are a side Nigeria will only ignore at their own peril.
The Harambee Stars' midfield has done well to create a rash of chances for strikers Francis Ouma and Mike Baraza to score from - even without being on top of their game. Kenyan back-four of James Mulinge, Edgar "Fighter" Ochieng', Joseph Shikokoti and George Owino.
Kenya, particularly their midfielders, will also have to overcome their problem of losing gas after an hour of play.
During the regional tourney, Kenya tied goalless with Zambia and demolished Djibouti 5-1. One of the players Amodu might need to keep an eye on is Ouma - he scored a hat trick in that 5-1 victory and has since crowned his top form with another goal in the 2-1 semifinal defeat of Tanzania.
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