Harambee Stars left-back Aboud Omar has shed light on the altercation with Eric Johana Omondi, which led to both players being expelled from their camp prior to traveling to Malawi for the Four Nations Tournament last March.
Omar, a key player in the 5-0 victory over Seychelles last November and a veteran of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, was initially expelled from the camp. This left coach Engin Firat with no option but to call up Vincent Mahiga of AFC Leopards and Geoffrey ‘Simity’ Ochieng of Gor Mahia, as senior fullback Erick ‘Marcelo’ Ouma was sidelined due to injury.
However, Omar has since returned to the squad for upcoming matches against Burundi and Ivory Coast, as the Harambee Stars continue their quest for their first-ever ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Coach Firat addressed the disciplinary issues, emphasizing the importance of maintaining national team standards.
“I was unhappy about their discipline. Nonetheless, they know how to conduct themselves in the national team. I won’t close the door. Now they can show that they deserve to be here,” Firat said.
Omar has now shared his perspective on the incident and expressed his happiness about being back in the squad.
“It was a bit personal. The coach said we should not disclose it and that he’d be handling the situation,” Omar told Pulse Sports. “We spoke with the coach after he called me up. After the incident, we never talked, but he did come and watch me against Tusker and then a day or two later, he called me up. We went to camp and he spoke to me about it. We solved the issue and it is now behind us.”
The former Bandari and Tusker left-back also believes Kenya has a strong chance of qualifying for the World Cup but feels their chances against Burundi and Seychelles would have been better if they played in front of their home crowd in Nairobi rather than in Malawi.
“We do have a high chance of qualifying given the players we have now. If worse goes to worst, we can finish second. If we had the home support, it would have been better. Without the fans, it will feel as if we are away and it will be difficult for us. We are focused. It will practically be an empty stadium. It will be difficult, but we will try our best. I am, however, optimistic that if we had the home support, we’d have gotten six points.”
Kenya’s journey in the qualifiers started with mixed results, securing three points from their first two games against Gabon and Seychelles. The upcoming games are seen as a critical opportunity for the team to improve their standing and boost their chances of reaching the global tournament, set to be hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
