Kenyan Football Need Not Be Instant Coffee

The second leg of the Kenya Premier League (KPL) is back. I had the opportunity to watch the AFC Leopards play Ulinzi on Wednesday. The action got me thinking about two things; instant coffee and the 2012 Cup of Nations.

I like my coffee, with or without milk. But instant coffee i in the same league as sliced bread; makes you take too much of it under duress from your subconscious. Just a sachet and you have enough to make a cup in no time.

The same applies to fans of the so-called community clubs. The clubs, specifically Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, have a great history. A score league titles, regional championships and the Nelson Mandela Cup for Gor Mahia. These teams were built over time, and when they hit their highest level, the players would have played anywhere in the world. They had their basics right and could get their tactics right (if the club management did not involve the services of a "consultant"). What is not said enough is that they were developed through youth centres.

Listening to AFC Leopards fans after the Ulinzi match, it seems came to light that no one really wants to see coffee brew, they just want it instant. To be specific, they want the coach to come up with a winning team overnight!

Kenya has no youth system to develop tactics. Players are making the scratch on basics, technical and psychological, late in their career. Need not discipline is is reserved for people in uniform and schools. Put up a squad like this and you have briliant players but a weak team. Just the same as instant coffee.

I will mention I like my coffee brewed, put the granules in hot water and strain for the aroma. Let us put the players through the same process, we might miss out on Gabon 2012, but 2015 is definitely it, Kenya will shine.

As for the community club supporters, stop talking, start walking; no club with a fan base of 5 million has ever gone broke or lacked a stream of talent.

Remote Control

There has been alot of talk of use of "juju" and other forms of prediction formats that are intened to work in your team's favour. Africa has been accused of trying to do so. A 9 foot python was found in South Africa in the hands of a Sangoma. The belly creeper was in poor health. Other forms may be attributed to Africas, like guys in funny looking kits and strange ornamentation.

Now lets move to the Europeans, Germany in specific. They have Paul the Octopus. Octopaul predicts match results by eating from either the pot with the flag of Germany or their opponents. Octopaul is a non-mamal, just like the python in SA. Their purpose the same; modus operandi, depends on wha you believe, for me tis just the same.

A flow of printed works from North of the Latitude Cancer made Africa look like the remote control capital of the universe. Octopaul makes us understand they are like us, only that they use other organisms, and use apalatable words to describe the phenomenon.

Here is the difference; the python in SA will be treated by vets, Octopaul will be a subject of theses, antitheses, and hypotheses. The sangoma will be down trodden - not that I believe in his works - while Paul's keeper will be on Larry King, Hard Talk(BBC), Oprah Winfrey, Tyra Banks, and National Geographic.

What a way of life that footbal is.

For the record, I consider Octopaul a traitor; he was born in England - Germany's auld enemy? What happened, hopes tis not the warm weather.

Do You Live or Die For Your Country?

The quarter finals made a hero of Luis Suarez, Uruguayan striker turned illegal keeper. His use of hands on the line to stop a goal bound header raises a matter that need be addressed. The kamikaze spirit in players is acceptable, but what legacy does it leave?

Had Asamoah Gyan scored, Suarez would have been a hero and it would be told to future generations; it is better lose honourably than to put a long lasting black spot in your career. This did not happen; the crossbar put the match into post match penalties, and Uruguay play Holland in the semis.

Suarez is a hero and he will miss the semi against Holland. FIFA has yet to decided the extent of his ban. The adage says that it cowards live for their country, while the heroes die fortheir country. In Uruguay, it will be said Suarez was afraid of losing, and will therefore live for his country. To Ghanaians, he is in the same league as a suicide bomber - one who dies for his country.

Will his actions create a legacy of - if faced by danger of extinction and you have a good keeper, remeber Suarez from South Africa 2010?

This is not the last we see of Suarez, who incidentally is skipper at Ajax Amsterdam. Will his team mates play against Holland, where he earns his living, for him?

Tune in to Channel 1 and Metro FM for live coverage of this match.