Harambee Stars head coach Sebastien Migne has defended his decision to give a call up to two Kariobangi Sharks keepers in his squad that trained on Tuesday as part of AFCON and CHAN preparations.
There was an outcry from a section of fans who questioned the inclusion of young keeper Brian Bwire who has barely featured for the team this season but according to Migne, the inclusion of the former Kakamega High School shot-stopper was part of Kenya’s U23 Olympic qualifiers preps.
“We have an Olympic qualifier next month against Sudan and it was important that Bwire be part of the squad. Oyemba has been good with Sharks in the league and hence the call-up. They are both capable of featuring in CHAN too alongside Shikhalo (Farouk). We have other U23 players in the squad too and some will be part of our CHAN squad,” Migne said.
Bwire was between the sticks when the Kenya U23 team eliminated Mauritius 8-1 on aggregate in the first round of the Olympics qualifiers; a win that handed them a date against Sudan in the second round.
Apart from Bwire, other players in camp that were part of the U23 team were Sharks duo of James Mazembe and Sydney Lokale, Mathare United’s left-back David Owino, KCB’s Michael Kibwage, AFC Leopards forward Jafar Owiti and Wazito midfielder Teddy Osok.