This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
Kenya's football team has faced criticism for its recent performances, including being eliminated from the Chan 2020 qualifiers by Tanzania and exiting Afcon 2019 at the group stage.
Former Kenya international and Bandari tactician Bernard Mwalala believes that the key to improving the national team lies in scouting for players at the grass roots level.
"I think the only missing link now is in scouting for fresh players," Mwalala said. "We seem to be obsessed with players who have made names for themselves. But I believe they are very good players at the grass roots level and the coaches need to move around scouting for fresh talent."
Former national team coach Reinhardt Fabisch proved that this model can work and we need to go back to it. There’s no shortage of talent in Kenya – if the good players are identified early enough and nurtured then Kenya can become a football powerhouse in Africa, — Bernard Mwalala
Mwalala also spoke about Bandari winger Abdallah Hassan, who was initially part of the Harambee Stars Chan squad but did not feature in the two-legged tie against Tanzania.
"He deserved to be in the national team as he has been working very hard," Mwalala said. "Different coaches have different ways of using specific players and perhaps he did not fit in the coach’s plan for the game against Tanzania but he has played once for the national team and shown what he is capable of."
