Of Sports and War:Harambee Stars' Missing Link

Sports and war have an unlikely similitude going by the fact that they share the underlying principle-competition.It is virtually impossible for one to mention either without visualising the two probable outcomes which are victory or defeat,once the dust settles.

Initially,sports came about as a result of the need to select the fittest warriors for battle,keep them fit and at the same time help them savour the thrill or grief of being  triumphant or the losers, as the case might have been, before going to war.

Later on during periods of relative peace,such sports would generally be utilized for recreational purposes as well as for entertainment. Even though sports would contribute immensely towards peace by eliminating the gory details from the equation,some competitors would still sacrifice life and limb to ensure victory when their honour was at stake.

Military association

Since then, military recruits have been subjected to rigorous physical exercises most of which test endurance and resilience with the aim of getting the most suitable candidates for further conditioning and ranking.

The best candidates are then  given the honour of carrying the nation’s  flag,which  is one of the most profound symbols of unity,national pride and common destiny amongst a people.

Almost all Nations that have undergone significant periods of war have that fighting spirit whenever their people are called upon to represent their flag,be it in sports,science or even spelling bee competitions. A direct correlation between the performance of national sports team and her country’s war history can be witnessed.

A good example of this is those European countries that are very competitive in many spheres of life,for instance in technology, education, sports and ultimately economic-wise. This may be attributed to their strong sense of patriotism emanating from the battles and conquests over the centuries towards nationhood - and not to mention the two World Wars.

In individual sports,think of Bobby Fischer v Boris Spassky in The World Chess Championship in the 1970s.Their great duels were huge occasions that literally determined the momentary super power outside of the war rooms during the cold war.Yet only the two participants were involved who did an excellent job at hoisting their respective nations’ flags up high as they established their individual dominance in the game.

It is important to note that the war need not necessarily be on the battle front.Other nations,for instance Brazil have excelled in football as a result of her players’ desire to escape from the debilitating poverty.But ultimately,other complementary factors mentioned below have contributed to their success.Football being a team sport warrants every player to subordinate their individual ambitions for the good of the team and ultimately the nation.

When the rain started beating us

Apprehensive Harambee stars fans during a World Cup qualifier match.

Our much beloved national football team,The Harambee Stars, ought to be a case study in unrealized potential,poor leadership and lack of patriotism by now.This is almost stereotypical for an African nation,but somebody needs to say it if something is to be done.

Talent

As our national team sport, (rugby is just a pretender to the throne) pertinent questions arise when one looks at the national team's performance in recent years as well as the team’s absence from regional and international competitions for more than a decade now.

The number of men and women whose talent in the sport was not nurtured in time is proverbial in Kenya.One  can occasionally hear frustrations from former players whiling their time in city estates regarding the inadequate efforts to scout for young talent,with some openly admitting that if they had as much as the little support and equipment the current players are getting during their heydays,they would have flown our flag up high.

Continous talent search is therefore paramount in ensuring that the most suitable players are selected,nurtured and exposed to the highest levels of professional football - and there is no shortage of it starting from the high school level.It is no secret that the national high school football tournament is usually more thrilling than most premier league matches.One wonders why this talent is allowed to dissipate once these teenagers graduate from high school.

Where else do club scouts source their talent, since the clubs form the country’s top premier league,whose pool also the  national team is majorly picked?

Foreign clubs also rely on local premier leagues to scout for outstanding players who have demonstrated some level of tactical awareness,skill with the ball and learnability.

This gap should be well-bridged so that talented youth leaving high school receive  continuous nurturing as they develop in to professional footballers.This system has been effectively utilised across the world in the form of football academies where they receive holistic support to enable them focus singularly on developing their talent in the sport, and  not have to moonlight.

Leadership

There’s an English saying that a great man is he who bends his knee to tie a boy’s shoe lace.All national teams that excel in football worldwide attest to the unqualified support they receive from their football associations in terms of technical and financial support.

Our Football governing body that recently metamorphosed in to Football Kenya Federation (FKF) which is recognised by FIFA and CAF and is mandated to issue guidelines on matters football,has over the years invariably served as a launchpad for the incumbent leaders into national politics.Little else.

Young,talented girls enjoying the sport

The sad part is that none of them looks back after they rise to higher public offices on the well being of our golden goose - the player. Setting up of basic structures for primary and secondary school kids in order to identify talent early on, and also sponsoring tournaments across the country to give upcoming players more opportunities for discovery does not seem to fit in to their overall goals.It is a case of looking up for one’s self-interests and their cronies’.

Bad leadership has thus resulted in the mismanagement of football funds as well as government interference, which has earned us suspension from all FIFA competitions on a number of occasions.

Embarassing moments such as coaches and players not receiving the necessary support for their morale such as training allowances, air tickets for foreign-based players and decent accommodation should be a thing of the past,but you will hear about it more often than not.

Some of these officials are also known to interfere with the selection of the national team players in favour of their relatives as well as finished (sic) foreign-based players who grease their palms so as to increase their caps, at the expense of deserving,upcoming talent.

A few good men have,however,delivered the goods.For instance,Peter Kenneth offered visionary leadership when he was at the helm of the KFF between the year 1996 and 2000.Little wonder that the Harambee Stars rekindled the patriotic spirit amongst fans under the then German coach Reinhard Fabisch (RIP).

The current youthful FKF president Mr.Nick Mwendwa is well advised to provide leadership in the current wrangles between the FKF and KPL so that the interests of the player are not overshadowed by the on-going side-shows.He promised the delegates that he would clean up the rot in football management in Kenya in the run up to his election.One hopes that his good reputation at the grassroots level which propelled him to the top of the football governing body is replicated at the national level, especially as regards to identification and nurturing of talent.

Patriotism         
     

Football is not really such a complicated sport.As long as you have two teams of eleven players on each side and officials to enforce the rules governing the sport to ensure fairplay,then either team can carry the day.

Both teams may have players of equal caliber in terms of physical attributes,individual brilliance and team-playing skills,but save for uncontrollable forces such as luck,(which,like it or not,is a real factor) one team may have a history of dominance over the other.What could be the determinant factor?

While a lot of this may require conclusive research across various sports disciplines,patriotism for national teams stands out.Footballers with a strong sense of honour for self and for their flag have that extra umph!Even when they are down to 10 men,each team player will fight like they are individually replacing the one person red-carded,and will more often than not beat the opponent.

Harambee Stars,however,do not have such an enviable reputation.

They have never qualified for any World Cup finals,and the best they have done in the continental championships is bowing out at the group stages in 1972,1988,1990,1992 and the fifth and last time being their appearance in the 2004 AFCON finals in Tunisia.

This is not to say that those were not moments that brought national pride. In fact players like the ailing legend,Joe Kadenge,JJ Masiga,Henry Motego,Musa Otieno and recently,though fading,Denis Oliech and McDonald Mariga, have exhibited warrior moments that have lifted the whole team and country to heights only paralleled by our athletes when they take the three positions in the Olympic podium.

But having said that,our national team generally lacks some vital winning ingredient observable from the moment the national anthem is being played, with half of the players mum and the rest mumbling the inspiring words of our national anthem like it’s a bother!On the other end, their opponents will be seen with their eyes closed,faces to the sky and their hand clenching their hearts; absorbing each word of their anthem as if making a vow to the past and future generations that they are going to make history that very day when they raise their flag even higher.

Our boys’ ensuing lackluster performance as soon as the whistle blows, characterized by lack of signature moves or innovative and inspiring formations, is evidenced for all.Woe unto us should we concede the first goal.Chances are that we will not recover unless the opponents make an unforced error.

There’s no shame in defeat if the team gives its all. Besides, there can only be one winner.But it is childish and downright unpatriotic when players representing the best talent in the country cite unpaid allowances among other excuses as the reason for their poor performance in a match.

The recently concluded  AFCON tournament in Gabon has to be one of the best football tournaments held on the continent in terms of organisation,quality of teams as well as officiating.It is obvious that we did not deserve to be in the tournament considering the little investment we have made in our young talent as compared to any of the quarter-finalists.Football is a science nowadays,and not a matter of chasing the ball,therefore significant investment is needed in terms of resources,time and mentorship for our youth to conquer the world - or the continent first.

Conclusion

For ease of identification,players wear uniforms designed to match the colour of their respective flags.Save for the factors mentioned so far,could it be that our official uniform, which is either plain red,plain white or plain green in colour (with a distant tinge of the national flag in the attached emblem) fails to inspire the players.Or is the national team’s colloquial name ‘Harambee’ which means pulling together  not captivating enough even to the fans- Compare that with the indomitable lions of Cameroon,or the Nigeria’s Super Eagles.Are the players left with little inspiration to deliver beyond minimum effort?

Granted, the current coach Mr.Steve Okumbi is doing a great job in so far as the 11 consecutive wins are concerned.We can only hope that the winning streak does not end once the Olympic,Afcon and World Cup qualifiers commence.Otherwise what the team will have been doing is just rowing in circles,but heading nowhere.

The presence of world class players like Victor Mugubi and Michael Olunga in top flight football  should inspire excellence to the rest of the team and not awe the team managers who sometimes are unable to control moneyed players when faced with cases of indiscipline in the camp.This will ensure that there is strict discipline on and off the pitch,so that instances of players sneaking alcohol,khat and sometimes women in to the camp are history.

It is on record that some dictatorial countries like Saddam’s Iraq would wrongfully round up the national team players in military vehicles after a tournament in which they had dismally performed and transport them to the army barracks for hard labour and sometimes torture.This for the simple reason that they didn’t play like they were fighting for their country.Ivory Coast’s players,including former Everton FC star Ibrahima Bakayoko were also once detained and forced to attend lectures on patriotism after their poor show during the 2000 AFCON games.A year later,The Burkinabe national team was also arrested on arrival from a tournament on orders from the country's top general, and their eyebrows and hair shaven for 'not realising that they were soldiers on a mission for their country'.

In this modern day and age,replication of such acts is unfathomable.However,players need to play with full dedication and zeal when doing so for the motherland.

Just like some youths present themselves during military recruitment exercises due to lack of alternative livelihood and not for the love of the country,some of our boys that play for the Harambee Stars do not seem to understand what it means to wear the Kenyan national flag colours.

It means War!Honour!Patriotism!


Edited by TMK