Former Harambee Stars midfielder Jamal Mohammed has challenged retired footballers to bite the bullet and join the race to succeed Nick Mwendwa at Kandanda House.
Only Seif Mutie and Sammy Sholei, who have featured for Stars in the past, have expressed interests in ousting Mwendwa in the polls set to be conducted once coronavirus is suppressed
Jamal, famously known as Malo in an interview with Madgoat TV, singled out the quartet of Dennis Oliech, Musa Otieno, Titus Mulama and McDonald Mariga as potential candidates to take of the running of Football Kenya Federation.
The former Mathare United midfielder heavily criticised a handful of the aspirants who have declared their intentions to clinch the seat for pursuing personal interests rather than developing football.
The former Al Nasr player, who hinted of staging a comeback, said expectations were sky-high when Mwendwa took over in 2016 but he has not delivered much.
He blasted former Cecafa Secretary General Nicholas Musonye for harbouring a divided quest, thanks to his desire to vie for the Kakamega County gubernatorial seat in the next general elections. He, however, remained mum on the potentials of the other candidates.
"'These and other retired players should be fighting to take our football to the next level.Those who are interested have shown in the past that they do not have football in their hearts instead they push for personal gains. I supported Nick but he has taken football back to the estates and our standards have fallen way below the expectations. Musonye is more interested in politics while Sholei has never depicted the much needed hunger to lead us," observed the midfielder
Asked to name his favourite candidate, Jamal surprisingly picked former Harambee Stars custodian Arnold Origi to steer the ship once he hangs his gloves. He said he did not have a preferred candidate from the more than ten candidates who are eyeing the seat.
Origi currently plies his trade with HIFK Fotbol in Finland alongside compatriot and former Kariobangi Sharks ace Sydney Lokale. Jamal, who revealed that he had been assisting players to sign deals abroad, said Origi had shown leadership traits for the time we played with in the national team and his integrity was unquestionable.
"'The only candidate who can take our football to the next level is Origi albeit he is still active. He is a leader and loves development and I advise him to vie for the seat once he retires.He is not selfish and i don't think he can misappropriate public resources," he added.
