CONTINENTAL FINALS FURTHER INDICTMENT OF LOCAL FOOTBALL STANDARDS

Story written by Patrick Kamanga

CONTINENTAL FINALS FURTHER INDICTMENT OF LOCAL FOOTBALL STANDARDS

As the 2015 Africa Cup of Nation progresses into the knockout stages, most Kenyan fans of the beautiful game are growing apprehensive by the day. What is worrying is the growing disparity in standards between East Africa in general and our nation in particular, with rest of the continent as is evident from the ongoing finals.

The best showing by any of the CECAFA regional affiliate countries was a triumph by Sudan when they hosted the competition in 1970. The next best performance was by Uganda in 1978, when they beat Nigeria 2-1 in the semi-final but lost 2-0 to the hosts Ghana in the final but took pride in fact that their striker Phillip Omondi was the tournament joint top scorer. Since the 1970’s, East Africa’s fortunes as well as presence at the continental finals has been dwindling. 

The Uganda Cranes at the 1978 final in Ghana. Joint top scorer Phillip Omondi, 4th from left.

After a long absence, Sudan made two recent appearances in 2008 and 2012, while Ethiopia did the same in 2013 with both taking early flights home. Kenya has made five appearances, but their best showing was way back in 1972 when they lost the first game against the hosts Cameroon, then registered two, 1 all draws against Mali and Togo. At their next four appearances, Kenya registered one win and a draw (0-0 against Cameroon in 1988, 3-0 against Burkina Faso in 2004), losing all other matches.

Their southern neighbours Tanzania, had their one and only finals appearance in 1980 in Nigeria while Rwanda made a brief cameo in 2004.

Why the dismal record compared to other regions? 

Is it a lack of talent, poor infrastructure, lack of resources, and lack of structures for youth development or poor management and apathy from the political class?

Like the rest of the continent, East Africa is just as endowed with natural talent and the state of infrastructure is much the same in most of Sub-Sahara Africa, with the exception of South Africa. The general organization of the game in North Africa is closer to European standards. As far as resources are concerned, both Sahelian countries that've made great in-roads in recent years for example; Burkina Faso and Mali are some of the poorest nations on earth and wouldn’t rank near most of the East African nations, economically.

Lack of structures for nurturing young talent, poor management and apathy from the political class may be more likely of reasons, more so, the former! North and West African nations have over the decades invested heavily in youth development, regularly appearing and performing well at FIFA youth tournaments.

Guinea was a strong football nation in the 1970’s, slumped in the 1980’s then had a resurgence in the 1990’s. On sensing a dip in standards following a string of poor results at the dawn of the new millennium, the Guinean government didn’t hesitate to dissolve the Guinean Football Federation, a move that incurred a two year ban from FIFA. 

During the duration of the ban, the government cleaned up house and their rejuvenated Sylli Nationale subsequently made it to the 2004 finals in Tunisia where they bowed out at the quarter finals. They have since participated at every AFCON.
Kenya's Sports Minister during the post Moi era NARC government, Najib Balala attempted to emulate Guinea in 2003 by cleaning the Kenya Football Federation but the dichotomous nature of Kenyan politics ensured he didn't pull through with this move, no attempt has since been made by the political class to fix ailing state of the game, hence the aforementioned apathy.

The Sylli Nationale; Captained by Titi Camara (front row centre) before their ban by FIFA in 2001

Another question that is surely ringing in the minds of all Kenyan fans of the beautiful game is whether the football fathers in this country are watching the ongoing finals and if so, what in heaven’s name is going through their heads!?

One must wonder, because any long time follower of the game in this country can recall for example when Kenya was a tinge better than Zambia in the early to mid 1980’s. 

What changed?

For one, the Zambians got serious and reorganized their game in the mid eighties. To jumpstart their rise, at their last appearance at the regional finals before they opted to pull out of the lackluster CECAFA , later opting to join the COSAFA region, then team Captain Kalusha Bwalya scored a hat-trick against Kenya leaving the Harambee Stars in a heap in 1984. 

Kalusha Bwalya holding the coveted prize, reaping a quarter century of hard work and dedication

Kalusha was to take the world by storm at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea when he scored all the goals as the “K.K Eleven” as they were then known, buried the Azurri’s of Italy in a famous 4-0 win! As the African Player of the year 1988, he then went on to have a stellar career at Cercle Club Brugge in Belgium as well as PSV Eindhoven in Holland.

From 1990, the Zambians have participated at virtually every AFCON finals since! Moreover, to emphasize Zambia’s seriousness in terms of management, Kalusha is currently the Chief of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), as well as Confederation of African Football (CAF) representative in FIFA’s standing committee. Kalusha’s tenure has gone on to further propel their game and consolidate Zambia’s position in the whole East, Central and Southern African region culminating in their AFCON win in 2012! 

With the quagmire that is Kenyan football, its next to impossible to imagine leave alone dream of a scenario such as Zambia’s where a competent retired player of good repute is given the opportunity to run the national office. At the moment, a protracted war between the incumbent head honcho at the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), Sammy Nyamweya and his elected deputy Sammy Sholei, a retired soccer player with Tusker F.C, resulted in Nyamweya locking out Shollei from the Federation, a move clearly detrimental and retrogressive to the Kenyan game.

Forget about Zambia for a minute, Cape Verde have only had a competitive presence in the African game since the year 2000 and were at their second consecutive AFCON! Even though they can credit their current success on the Cape Verdian diaspora in Portugal and Spain for their meteoric rise, one must acknowledge their rapid development to proper management and goodwill of those running their game. 
Other examples that would irk any frustrated Kenyan fan are Gabon, Mali and Burkina Faso who learnt from their West African brethren;  Nigeria, Cote D’ Ivore, Cameroon and Ghana that the surest and simplest way out of “football limbo” is via the establishment of youth structures through which local talent is tapped, nurtured and developed to maturity. When Kenya made three consecutive AFCON finals appearances between 1988-’92; the two Sahelian countries and Gabon were languishing in relative obscurity that no one would have given them a second thought!

Mali and Burkina Faso however embarked on serious youth programs from the late 1990’s that has seen them become regular participants at FIFA youth World Cups. The rest is history!
South Africa augmented their investment in youth football by launching an ambitious coaches' program five years ago via the World Football Academy among other initiatives, where SAFA raised the minimum coaching requirements. Coaching courses and regular refresher clinics are offered and all coaches are expected to have CAF and FIFA coaching certificates at the minimum. After a decade long slump, the coaching program seems to be having the intended effect. The proof is in the pudding as South Africa's football team, the Bafana Bafana proved at the AFCON. Though eliminated in the first round, the youthful South Africans were arguably the most entertaining and enterprising team during the group stages and can take plenty of positives as they are clearly a team on the rise, a course that shall reap them maximum benefits sooner rather than later.

To illustrate the rut in football management in this country, a decade after FIFA initiated the Goal Project, with most countries in the continent almost reaping dividends, the local chapter has yet to take off. 

It even took the prodding of the FIFA regional representative, Ashford Mamelodi recently to prompt the local federation to move to the facilities at Kasarani, to prevent vandalism! 

Why would anyone then wonder why Kenya seems stuck in the 130’s on the FIFA rankings!?