Nairobi — Former Gor Mahia centreback John 'Bobby' Ogolla believes African champions Senegal stand the best chance of pulling the best results among the African teams at next week's World Cup in Qatar.
Ogolla says Teranga Lions' past results stand them in good stead even though they will have to navigate a tricky Group A that comprises the hosts, Ecuador and the Netherlands.
"I don't like predicting because football is a game of 90 minutes. However, Senegal have done very well in the past... they have come up strongly and pulled some good results. I can only wish them well," Ogolla, nicknamed the Six Million Dollar Man, said.
Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane, Watford's Ismailia Sarr and Everton's Idrissa Gueye are expected to spearhead the Senegalese campaign in what will be their third World Cup appearance since their debut in 2002.
For Kenya though, an appearance at the largest sporting event on the globe remains a mirage with its football currently in the doldrums following last year's suspension by Fifa.
With Kenyans once again set to be mere spectators as 32 teams battle for glory in the Middle East, Ogolla insists Harambee Stars must become mainstays at the Africa Cup of Nations if they are even to get a whiff of the World Cup.
"First of all, we have to participate regularly in Afcon. We cannot be talking about going to the World Cup while we are still struggling to make it to the Africa Cup of Nations. Once we compete consistently on the continent, then we can take it to the next level by going to the World Cup," he said.
Ogolla added: "The whole of East Africa region has been in the past struggling to make it to Afcon. However, we can see Uganda are now picking up very strongly. They have been qualifying for the recent editions and I hope we can also follow the same path."
Ogolla, who was part of the Gor Mahia squad that clinched the 1987 Africa Cup Winners' Cup, further faulted the current system of electing football officials, noting that it has compromised the integrity of the process.
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"Kenyan football is in the ICU and if we don't wake up to the fact that if we don't pull up our socks we will be in the dustbin for a very long time. We should be serious about overhauling a lot of things for football to be right. The way football officials are elected in this country... it is a sham. When you have some 99 people electing the officials, then it makes it very easy to be bought," Ogolla, who began his playing days at Kisumu Hotstars, said.
The former defender was part of the national team that won a hattrick of Cecafa Senior Cup titles in 1981-83.
After retirement in 1987, Ogolla has tutored at various clubs, including Gor Mahia, Sofapaka, Nairobi City Stars, Muhoroni Youth and Kenya Police, among others.
He is delighted with the way worldwide football has transformed and admits the current crop of players have it very easy compared to his active days.
"In our days, we used to play as much as two matches every weekend. Nowadays, they only play one match per weekend and they do not train as much. The art of defending has also changed as from our days," Ogolla said.
