Football Kenya Federation(FKF) looks set to appoint Former Mathare United manager Francis Kimanzi as the new head coach for the Harambee Stars. This follows the mutual agreement to terminate Sebastian Migne’s contract after a poor string of results.
The impending move has received a lot of backlash from football fans since the news leaked but in this article, we focus on why appointing Kimanzi is a positive move for the team and the growth of Kenyan football.
Kimanzi’s style of play
A very big reason as to why many Kenyan fans did not favor Sebastian Migne was due to his defensive set up and approach to matches. The French tactician was more of an antagonist and focused more on nullifying the opposition’s attacking play.
Francis Kimanzi would be a welcome change as he is a protagonist who sets up his team to attack and create chances. The current crop of players in the Harambee Stars squad are more suited to this style of football which makes Francis Kimanzi the perfect coach for them.
Past experience
Francis Kimanzi has had two stints with the National team before. His first was a hugely successful period for the team and saw Harambee stars achieve the highest ever FIFA Ranking position when we were ranked as the 68th best team in the World in 2008.
The team was playing beautiful expansive football and should have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup had he not been sacked after falling out with the Football Kenya Federation.
Kimanzi also worked under Sebastian Migne as the assistant manager which eliminates his adaptation and orientation period.
Promote local talents
Many African teams are now going for local-based managers. Indeed, the move showed it’s fruits when two local-based coaches met in the final of the just-concluded Africa Cup Of Nations Tournament in Egypt.
Senegal’s Aliou Cisse met with Algeria’s Djamel Belmadi and it goes to show that having an African coach for an African team is not the worst idea. For starters, foreign coaches demand a huge salary plus winning bonuses and can be subject to language barriers.
This is not to say Kimanzi would be a cheap option but he definitely will not be as expensive as Migne and clearly understands Kenyan football better!
Do you think Francis Kimanzi will be a success at Harambee Stars? Share your thoughts in the comments section below..