- Former Harambee Stars midfielder Tom Juma believes there are key qualities that Victor Wanyama, the current skipper, should adapt from Otieno, his forerunner, to enhance Harambee Star’s success.
Otieno who remains the longest Harambee Stars has seen the joys, the tears and the intrigues at the national team. He has been associated with Harambee Stars since 1993 when he was a just 19 years old. Previously he was a central defender AFC Leopards and Tusker FC.
The landmark moment for the former captain was leading Kenya back to the Africa Cup of Nations in 2004. This had been impossible for over a decade. When he retired, Victor Wanyama stepped in. The current stripper led the national team in Afcon 2019 edition in Egypt.
Juma acknowledged the roles of both captains as he stated: “They have been great leaders that is why they have been picked as captains for different generations. Of course, every captain deserves to be there but Musa is somebody I worked with and found him an inspiring leader,”
Juma, the current football operations manager at AFC Leopards urges Wanyama to take a courageous step and ask for guidance as it will help in pointing out things that must be hailing their teams. He insists that even if Wanyama played for England, Otieno has undisputed coaching skills due to his experience.
“They are thereby merit. In football, you always learn from the previous leaders and Wanyama has a lot of things to learn from Otieno.” He explained.
“He [Otieno] might not have played in England but the experience he has in football cannot be compared to anyone. Wanyama has a lot to learn from him,” added Juma.
Former Harambee Stars midfielder is for the opinion that Wanyama and his company left a remarkable impact in 2019 so as to help the country record better results in every subsequent edition they take part in. He hopes Wanyama adapts some skills from Otieno to perform better.
“The 2019 group would have just done better than we did so that the record can be bettered as we move forward,” he concluded.
