Exclusive: Harambee Stars Let Kenyans Down in AFCON Qualifiers - Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo

Former Kenyan international Sammy 'Pamzo' Omollo has delivered a hard-hitting verdict on Harambee Stars' failed hunt for a ticket to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), partly attributing it to the half-hearted performances by international players in the team.

Stars were unsuccessful in their search for a slot in next year's AFCON finals as they finished third in Group J of the qualifiers, behind Zimbabwe and Cameroon.

There were hopes that Kenya would return to the biannual tournament, after the draw for the qualifiers was conducted, but the team put in a disappointing show, winning a single match.

The poor results achieved in the qualifiers, saw stakeholders amplify calls to have coach Engin Firat sacked as his record in competitive matches inspired no confidence.

While the blame has been laid on Firat's door, and lack of home advantage, Pamzo, believes that the players should not be spared either.

LET'S TELL PLAYERS THE TRUTH, THEY LET US DOWN

Without mincing his words, 'Pamzo' criticised the players, especially the foreign-based ones for failing to take matters into their hands and pushing the rest the team to qualify.

'Pamzo' further questioned the lack of fighting spirit and inability, by international players, to channel their better versions for the sake of the country.

The former defender said, much that the team felt the absence of 12th man support, the performances they put in the six matches lacked vigour, organisation and ambition.

"We need to tell our players the truth. In all honesty, they let the country down. We saw international players from other countries giving their best and ensuring their teams qualify. We never saw ours put in a spirited fight ," said the former Gor Mahia assistant coach in a telephone interview with SportsBoom.com.

WE LACK BIG GAME PLAYERS

'Pamzo', further pointed to the lack of big-game players in the team for the dismal results in the qualifiers.

The immediate former Shabana FC coach mentioned former skipper Dennis Oliech, midfielder Victor Wanyama, himself and forward Mike Okoth as some of the players, whom would meet fans' expectations and deliver when called upon.

He observed that the current team lacked similar players and challenged coaches to strive to have a few in the team going forward.

"When was the last time you witnessed a player in the national team dribble past two or three players? Do we have a player who is good in one versus one situation?

"That was not the case in the past. We had the likes of Oliech, Maria, Wanyama, myself and Okoth. These are players who could win matches for the team," said the former Kenya Police head coach.

WE WERE JUST HONOURING FIXTURES

The lukewarm performance in the qualifiers left 'Pamzo' convinced that the team was interested in honouring fixtures rather than seeking a ticket to Morocco.

The former Posta Rangers coach took issue with the body language of the players, lack of of enthusiasm and attaching little or no pride in wearing the national team shirt.

'Pamzo' struggled to pick the style of play and tactical approach to the matches yet coach Firat had been building the team for more than two years.

"It felt like we were grouping and playing just because there was a fixture ahead. We lacked identity, in terms of style of play and worse still, the pride of representing the nation," criticized the CAF A license holder.

FAILED QUALIFICATION INDICATES HOW LOW WE HAVE SUNK

The former Tusker coach termed the failed bid for a ticket to Morocco as the clearest indicator of how low the team had sunk in recent years.

'Pamzo' held the believe that Kenya had the capacity to secure one of the two tickets on offer-from Group J, but a third-place finish was the best the team could manage.

The gaffer labeled the performance a shame considering that the rest of the co-hosts for the 2027 AFCON finals had sailed through and were making significant progress in their development.

He also said the results spoke hugely on the decline of the quality of the Kenyan league, which used to attract quality players from all over in yesteryear.

"The results we achieved in the qualifiers show where we are. It exposed the gap between us and teams outside the region. It shows the drop of quality in our leagues," he said.

STOP COMPARISONS WITH WEST, NORTH AFRICAN TEAMS

'Pamzo' pleased with Kenyan football enthusiasts to cease comparing Stars with teams from North and West Africa.

He said Kenya should, instead, channel energy towards catching up with the rest of East African countries, which he noted were head and shoulders above.

The former defender said the losses suffered at the hands of South Sudan meant that Kenya is no longer the bigger brother in the region, football wise.

"We have always wanted to plug in the gap between us and teams from North and West Africa. I think we shouldn't focus with that as we are no where near them in terms of quality and level.

"We should focus on catching up with the other East African teams. The performances the rest of teams from the region put in the qualifiers tells how much ground they have covered," he added.