Belgian Adel Amrouche has been hired as the next Kenya national team coach to replace Frenchman Henri Michel who quit after only two games. Michel showed very little passion in his job. Perhaps it was the language barrier. He did not show any interest developing football from the ground up. He casually dismissed the CECAFA cup as unimportant despite the fact that a significant portion of Kenya fans are still interested in this tournament which has a rich history.
Adel Amrouche comes with an attitude that is the polar opposite of Henri Michel.
A motivated man
Even before Michel was hired, Amrouche had offered to work as Harambee stars for free for a period of 3 months. He clearly wanted the job very badly. Perhaps it is because he has seen some untapped potential in Kenya. Or maybe he just wanted a high profile coaching job with a national team which could boost his CV if he succeeds. Whatever the reason is, he seems to have a passion for Kenya Football that is not seen even amongst local coaches. One could see the determination on his face as he expressed his desire to raise the standards of the game in Kenya.
Amrouche indicated during his press conference that he wanted to write his name in the annals of African football before he leaves Kenya.
Building from the ground up
Amrouche indicated that he was interested in building Kenya football through the youth ranks. “I am interested in the youth projects; we want to build the future of Kenya and I believe we will achieve.”
This idea will be welcomed by many Kenyan football fans who are aware of how previous coaches specifically Austrian Gerry Saurer and German Bernard Zgoll built a strong team for the future by unearthing youthful talents at the grassroots and grooming them into highly competent senior players. Both coaches traversed the country and unearthed unpolished gems whom they groomed into stellar players.
There are no shortcuts to success. For Kenya to succeed, the country has to start building through the youth ranks. And critically, there is talent at the grassroots all over the country waiting to be unearthed. Amrouche has expressed the desire to do just that.
No Language Barrier
Unlike Henri Michel who could not speak a word of English despite having spent time coaching in South Africa, Amrouche will be able to communicate directly with the players without needing a translator.
He even took the initiative to learn some rudimentary Kiswahili. During his initial press comference, he greeted the cameras thus ;“Jambo, nimefurahi kuwa hapa,”. More importantly however, he
“I am very happy to have this opportunity, and I’m determined to do my very best in what is my last challenge on this continent. Every talented player will have a chance.”
Knowledge of Kenya Football
Amrouche needs no introduction to Kenya football. he has been studying Kenya football fort a long time. He apparently has even attended Kenya Premier league matches to study local talent. He traveled to Tunis to watch Kenya play Libya, most likely at his own expense.
Furthermore, he comes with significant experience in Africa having coached the Burundi national team for 5 years and two stints as coach of Congolese side DC Motema Pembe (Roho Safi).
Lets give Amrouche a chance.
The sad history of Kenya football is that coaches are rarely given a chance to complete their work. They are often fired unfairly or quit in a huff, citing unfavourable working conditions.
Fans hope that Amrouche will be given an opportunity to build. Success may not come immediately. Let Kenyans judge him by how much improvement he brings to the team and his ability to groom new talent for the future.
Time for Tusker to step up
Sports minister Ababu Namwamba has appealed to Tusker to follow the example set by Kenya Airways by paying the salary of the new coach. “It is my appeal and I know the Federation shares the same view that the sponsors East African Breweries take up this task of paying the coach’s salary. I challenge the sponsors to think about the possibilities and I can assure them that I have analyzed his credentials and I know he is among some of the best coaches in Africa.” Namwamba said.
The sponsors will benefit by paying the coach because it will assure stability which will generate good results which in turn will give Tusker good publicity.
On the contrary,we do not understand frenchmen.they tend to have mannerisms strange to us anglophones.it was more of a cultural barrier than language.for a country on top of the economic game, we have atrocious organization that would leave any respectable monsieur aghast and pissed, thats frenchmen 101.remember lama?and whats more the lack of basic training equipment and official interference in team selection, we just suck,Amrouche is here to boost his Cv and not take us to brazil.