Twaha Mbarak calls for fairness in Stars' selection

Former Football Kenya presidential aspirant Twaha Mbarak has appealed for fairness in the selection of national team players.

Speaking in Eldoret during a tournament organised by the Uasin Gishu Football Association at the Eldoret ASK Showground, Mbarak called on national team scouts to traverse all the 47 counties for adequate talent.

He attributed the miserable run exhibited by Harambee Stars in the Africa Cup of Nations and the Fifa World Cup to poor leadership that lacked a clear selection criterion.

Mbarak lamented that for a long time now, the majority of players turning out for the national team have been drawn from Nairobi-based clubs, saying the country needed to espouse a different approach to post positive results.

“We should not rely on players from Nairobi-based clubs only when selecting the national team. With such an approach, we shall never move forward. Also, the national team shouldn't necessarily comprise players plying trade for premier league clubs,” said Mbarak.

For this to succeed, the coast-based football administrator suggested the enhancement of grassroots structures across the country, including the re-introduction of youth talent centres.

“We once had some youth centres which used to nurture talents but they are no longer there. We need them in all regions because it is only through them that we can nurture great players,” said Mbarak.

The move, he said, would make it easier for national team selectors to follow up on the progress of the players identified for national duty.

“If the office has identified a particular player, they should be able to know the youth centre they belong to so as to give the selectors an easy time,” he added.