CHAN 2024: Captain Aboud Omar Defends Young Harambee Stars Players Over Slow Starts

Aboud Omar has defended Harambee Stars’ players for their slow start in their matches against DR Congo and Angola in the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN 2024).

Playing on home soil, fans expected Harambee Stars to have composure from the first minute, but that has been the complete opposite.

The players seem afraid to make moves in the first few minutes of the games, something that proved costly in their match against Angola, where the Palancas Negras scored in the seventh minute.

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Harambee Stars captain Aboud Omar has urged fans to be patient with the players, noting that there are only three experienced players in the squad.

He singled out Masoud Juma, Farouk Shikhalo and himself as the players with the most experience. He pointed out that, for instance, in their match against Angola, he was the only one who played since Masoud Juma was injured and Bryne Omondi was the goalkeeper.

Aboud Omar added that some players have made their debuts and were extremely impressive, and fans should give them credit for that instead of focusing on the negative side.

The Kenya Police FC defender further explained that Marvin Nabwire’s red card disoriented the young players, but they bounced back quite swiftly.

“As we all know, this is a very young team, and I think the only experienced players who were in action in 2019 are Masoud, Farouk and I,” Aboud Omar said after the match against Angola.

“You people have to understand that some of these players have never played on such a stage, and I can’t perform a miracle now that I was the only experienced one on the pitch.

“This team is very young, and you find players like (Edward Omondi) Ondimo, this is his first call-up, and he has done a very good job. You find that sometimes, he players are not used to that pressure and they are a bit afraid, but they have committed themselves and have remained grounded. The red card disoriented them a bit, but if not for that, we would have gotten great results.”

He remains confident that in every match, Harambee Stars players continue improving and they will be ready to face Morocco on Sunday, August 10.

However, it is not only the fans who have lamented about Harambee Stars' mentality, but also the coach, Benni McCarthy.

The former Manchester United attacking coach revealed that the players have been slow to react, and that is what cost them heavily against Angola.

He revealed that they will have to pull up their socks ahead of their clash against two-time champions Morocco or else they will be in for a rude shock.

“You can't still be like a rookie, like someone who's never walked onto a football pitch before, someone who's never seen so many people in the stadium. And that's what my team is doing at the moment. And it's becoming costly,” he added.

Harambee Stars are now leading Group A with four points, and their match against Morocco will be a huge determinant of their chances of making it to the knockout stages. After Morocco, Harambee Stars have a date with Zambia on August 17, their final group stage match.