Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat is set to lead his charges in a Group 'E' World Cup qualifier against Rwanda at Nyayo Stadium on Monday afternoon amid uncertainty at Kandanda House.
Stars head into the dead rubber encounter on the back of a sluggish run, characterised by a couple of draws against Uganda and Rwanda and two heart-wrenching losses to Mali — including a 5-0 thumping in Morocco.
The Kenyan lads had a glorious opportunity to redeem their blotted image and salvage some pride in their match against Uganda at St. Mary's Kitende Stadium on Friday when Michael Olunga fired them ahead on the hour mark.
However, a grave schoolboy howler by Tusker custodian, Brian Bwire, ruined the party a few seconds to full-time.
This was the second time the nations were sharing spoils in this edition of the continental showpiece, having earlier played out to a barren draw in the first leg held at Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi in September.
The best the Kenyans can now achieve is an inconsequential third-place finish if they manage to secure maximum points against the Amavubi Stars.
The realisation that nothing substantive is at stake might just as well prove to be an albatross around Kenya's neck. It will also be interesting to observe how the players react psychologically to the series of events that have jolted the local football scene in the past week.
The match might just as well bear little significance given the country stares at an imminent ban by world football governing body, Fifa, following the government's shock move to disband Football Kenya Federation on Thursday.
Harambee Stars skipper Michael Olunga has appealed for sobriety in the camp amidst the prevailing harsh and daunting circumstances.
“As players, we are more focused on the upcoming assignments, we don't let what is happening beyond the pitch affect us much because as players we can only control what's within our power which is going out there to perform.”
Olunga urged his teammates to give their final match a big stab, reminding them of the importance of salvaging the country's image on the international stage.
“In the last two home games, we've not found the back of the net and this is an area we are trying hard to address as a team. We created several chances which we didn't utilise,” said Olunga.
Although Stars have already been bundled out of contention of progressing to the March playoffs, Olunga has urged his teammates to bounce back strongly to redeem the country's blotted image.
