......waiting to be rescued
ACCRA, GHANA -- Members of the Kenyan national soccer team went through another trying day here yesterday, waiting for soccer officials in Nairobi to send money for their upkeep.
Yesterday Kenya Football Federation treasurer Mohammed Hatimy said a KFF senior official would be leaving for Accra today and take with him the money that is required.
Hatimy said there was no need for players to be anxious because arrangements had been made in advance to settle the team in a hotel in Accra where Harambee Stars will stay for another week before they travel to Togo for an African Nations Cup Group Five match on June 22.
Harambee Stars left Mauritania on Saturday after drawing with the host nation 0-0 in a qualifying match in Nouakchott.
Stars officials said the tour party of 22 people had only travelled to Mauritania with Sh30,000 and were lucky to leave Nouakchott only hours before a coup attempt was foiled by loyalist soldiers.
The team arrived in Accra and would have been stranded at the airport had a good Samaritan not come to their rescue.
Harambee Stars, who were expecting KFF officials to meet them at the airport, were surprised that no one had been sent in advance from Nairobi to meet the team.
Yesterday, the KFF treasurer said it was not their policy to send teams abroad with loads of cash. Hatimy said there was no cause for alarm because the KFF acting secretary-general, Allan Chenane, would be leaving for Accra today and as soon as he arrives he would settle costs the team had incurred during its stay.
"The team is booked in a hotel. The players are sleeping and they are eating. I have talked to the hotel and we are even ready to wire money directly into their account," Hatimy said.
But the treasurer could not explain why nobody from the federation was on hand to meet the team in Accra.
Harambee Stars held their first training session in Ghana and coach Jacob Mulee said he was crossing his fingers that two strikers, John Baraza and Paul Oyuga, would be able to join the team for their match against Togo.
He said their absence was very conspicuous during Stars' game against Mauritania
Baraza and Oyuga, who are based in Sweden where they turn out for first division clubs, were unable to join the team because they got their plane tickets very late, an official said.
Mike Hansson, an official of the Scandinavia Soccer Organisation, speaking on behalf of the two strikers, said the KFF got in touch with them very late, making it difficult for the players to prepare themselves for the long flight to west Africa.
But Hatimy absolved the KFF from blame, and insisted that they were in constant communication with the players and added that the tickets had been sent on time.
But the players disagreed. "John Baraza got his message on June 3 at 6 pm that he was to collect his British Airways air ticket at the airport and fly to Mauritania on June 4 at 9.20 am." Hansson said.
Hansson added that Baraza's club, IF Sylvia, wanted the striker to return from Mauritania in time for a club engagement on June 9 while his ticket was booked for him to leave Mauritania on June 12.
"British Airways said there was no chance of them changing the return date to June 10."
Mulee put all this behind him yesterday and concentrated on sharpening the team's attack in anticipation for Kenya's friendly match against the Ghana national team on Friday.
Black Stars coach Burkhard Ziese said the match would be useful for both teams which are seeking to qualify for Nations Cup finals in Tunisia in January.
