Harambee stars host Comoros at the Nyayo National Stadium today.

Harambee Stars will on Sunday
embark on a long route to the 2015
African Cup of Nations finals when
they host the lowly ranked
Comoros at the Nyayo National
Stadium in the first encounter of a
two-leg preliminary phase tie.
The last time Stars made an
appearance at the continental
showpiece was way back in 2004
under the tutelage of former
coach-turned-television pundit
Jacob ’Ghost’ Mulee.
Since then, the team’s successive
attempts to earn a ticket to
Africa’s premier football
competition have ended in
heartbreak.
When Stars last took part in the
competition, the squad was a
blend of youth and experience with
former long-serving skipper Musa
Otieno, Mike Okoth, Robert Mambo
and custodian Francis Onyiso
forming the spine of the team.
Also in the squad was a
sensational teenager by the name
Dennis Oliech who had just
announced his arrival on the big
stage.
Ten years on, as the team begins a
journey whose destination is
Morocco their aim is to make up
for past failures.
BIG NAMES
The current squad boasts of a
number of big names including
team captain Victor Wanyama,
MacDonald Mariga and Dennis
Oliech, all of whom bring a wealth
of experience into the team.
For Oliech and Duncan Ochieng,
the only survivors from the 2004
squad, the campaign presents an
opportunity to take another bite at
the cherry while the returning
Mariga desires to make his debut
at the Nations Cup.
“I have been away from the team
for too long, but what is important
is to put our heads together and
make our country proud. I am glad
to be back and I want to give my
best,” said Mariga.
National duty
The Inter Milan midfielder, who
has been sidelined with injury for
nearly two years, will be playing
alongside his younger sibling
Wanyama and Oliech for the first
time since October 2011.
Other foreign-based players
scattered in various leagues abroad
have likewise responded to the
call of national duty by diligently
trooping to camp.
Latest arrival Lawrence Olum
believes success at this stage
would provide the team with the
much needed morale boost going
forward into the campaign.
POSITIVE START
The midfielder, who plays for
Sporting Kansas City in Major
League Soccer in the United States,
said whichever player takes to the
field today will have only one thing
in his mind - victory.
“On paper it looks like we are the
favourites in this match, but we
still have a job to do and make
that statistic count. I want to
assure Kenyans that we will do
our part to conjure up a win, so let
them show patriotism by coming
out to support us tomorrow
(today),” Olum said Saturday when
the team was hosted to a luncheon
at a city hotel by the football
governing body in the country.
Indeed, Olum, who earlier in the
week risked missing to report to
camp, demonstrated his
commitment to the team by
purchasing his own air ticket
following local football authorities’
failure to send him tickets on
time.
“It is always an honour to
represent the country and when I
was called up I had to stand up for
my country with or without
receiving the air tickets,” he said.
Former team captain Oliech
stressed the need for a positive
start to the campaign for them to
build momentum.
“We do not know much about our
opponents (Comoros) but what is
important is to have a good start
and reach the group stages. We
want to qualify and for us to have
a chance we must work hard,”
Oliech said.
THE OPPOSITION
Stars coach Adel Amrouche echoed
his players’ ambition but warned
them against underrating the
opposition.
“We have said it time and again
that we need to improve. The time
has come to walk the talk because
this is about the country. If we
reach next year’s Africa Cup of
Nations, then the whole country
will have achieved something. That
is our goal,” Amrouche said.
During the luncheon, the team
received Sh1 million in cash for
their allowances.
Although the islanders are ranked
at a lowly position 184, 78 slots
behind Kenya and have not won a
major title, Harambee Stars will be
wary of the unfancied opposition.
If Kenya manages an aggregate
win over Comoros they will face
either Lesotho or Liberia in the
next round of the qualifiers with
the winner advancing to the group
stage where Angola, Gabon and
Burkina Faso lie in wait.
'CLEAN SHEET'
Meanwhile, Comoros coach Amir
Abdou said they will not be cowed
by the big names in the Kenyan
team.
“They (Harambee Stars) have very
good players such as Dennis Oliech
who I have followed for long in
France, but we are here to fight
and give our best,” Abdou said.
“I have assembled a very good
side capable of doing well against
any team. We are fully focused on
Sunday’s (today) match. We want
to do well against a very strong
side. Our goal is to keep a clean
sheet in Nairobi,” he added.
Needless to say, the hopes of 40
million plus Kenyans rest on the
shoulders of Wanyama and his
team mates.
Abdou will be counting on his
skipper Najim Abdou, who turns
out for Millwall FC in the English
second tier league to lead his side
against Harambee Stars.
“My players can cope with the
intimidating atmosphere that we
expect to receive from the home
fans. Playing away from home is
always very tricky, but my boys
are psychologically prepared for
the match.”