Musa, Cheche late inclusions as Firat plug holes in Stars’ squad

Harambee Stars’ head coach, Engin Firat, has said he was forced to act quickly after two dependable central defenders snubbed national team call-ups at the eleventh hour.

Speaking on Monday after the Stars embarked on fresh preparations ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Uganda and Rwanda, Firat said Simba’s Joash Onyango and Mamelodi Sundown’s Brian Mandela asked to be excluded from the forthcoming engagements so that they could concentrate on club football.

And with Genk’s Joseph Okumu ruled out of action due to injury collected in a league match, the Turkish gaffer swung into action to cover the gaping holes that left the team’s defence badly exposed.

“We must always consider the number of players we have in some positions and if they are enough to get the job done. Joseph Okumu collected an injury and cannot be included in our plans. Joash Onyango and Brian Mandela said they needed more time with their clubs,” said Firat.

“It, therefore, meant we lacked three players in critical positions and that’s why I gave Cheche and Musa another opportunity in the national team, especially considering they both boast of a wealth of experience on the international stage,” he added.

As a stop-gap measure, Firat rushed to include veterans David Cheche Ochieng and Musa Mohammed to the Harambee Stars provision squad that pitched camp on Monday morning to prepare for the remaining encounters against Uganda and Rwanda.

“It’s only wise that we find a way to balance the team by blending youth and experience. We can’t risk fielding youngsters entirely,” Firat said.

The two who were absent from the initial provisional list released by the tactician a week ago joined the rest of the squad for training on Monday.

Curiously though, Okumu played the entire minutes in Genk’s one-all draw against Cercle Brugge over the weekend.

This is the second time Onyango will skip Stars’ major assignment after injury ruled him out of a trip to Togo in July.

He was eventually drafted back into the squad for the Mali assignments that ended in huge losses.

A natural centre-back, Onyango featured as a right-back against Mali and had to be withdrawn on the half-hour mark after a shoddy job.

Whereas Musa currently skippers Kenyan Premier league debutants Kenya Police after being acquired last month from Zambian Super League side Lusaka Dynamos, Cheche joined Posta Rangers around the same time after featuring for Mathare United for the whole of last season.

COURTESY