Mambo takes up coaching job in Sweden ‘to give back to the sport’

Many will remember him for his powerful headers and commanding style of play whenever he turned out for the national team, Harambee Stars.

Many argued that he was not really talented a player, but through sheer hard work and discipline, the Mombasa-born and bred midfielder Robert Mambo managed to make it to Europe as a professional player and play for over a decade for the national team.

Mambo retired from active football in 2016 after over two decades and was just recently named the Head Coach of Swedish fourth-tier side FC Gute, a team he served as a player for three years and as a youth coach until he was appointed as the senior side’s tactician on Wednesday.

He holds an Uefa “B” coaching license and intends to take up Uefa “A” license classes from next year.

But it hasn’t been an easy sail to Europe for an ordinary boy born and bred in downtown Mombasa.

Football changed his life, and he is grateful for that.

Before his recent appointment, Mambo had a short stint with a women lower-tier side Dalhem FC where he served as coach and signed up Kenyan internationals Mary Kinuthia, Christine Nafula and Terry Engesha.

But his football journey hasn't been all rosy as Mambo explains. “I was born and raised in Mombasa and come from a family of five siblings. My parents and siblings have given me great support throughout my career and I thank them to date.

FOOTBALL JOURNEY

“I specifically grew up in Buxton, a tough neighbourhood that produced a lot of talented players across various sporting disciplines. My parents brought me up well and that explains my discipline to date,” Mambo told Nation Sport.

“Football has been my life ever since I could start kicking it at a very early age, I think at around seven years. I am so happy and proud to have enjoyed each and every step of it; from playing for my primary school Makande to Serani High School which was very competitive back then to the Mombasa Under 18 Copa Coca Cola, Kenya Under-23 team, Admiral, Bandari, Coast Stars, Tusker until I started my European sojourn with KAA Gent in Belgium in 2001.

It has been a fantastic football journey with a lot of amazing memories and I can only thank God for the opportunities. A lot of hard work and tolerance has helped me overcome the challenges, let no one lie to you that it has been a straight line all along,” he added.

But how did he get to Europe?

“There was a Belgian citizen known as Bob who lived in Mombasa and followed our matches when I was at Coast Stars in 1999.

He liked me a lot and sent people to tell me that he wanted to take me to Belgium but that season I was so carried away with our team since we were doing well and didn’t even think of moving away. I joined Tusker the following year and Bob would still send people to talk to me. The year 2000 was one of my best. I performed so well and I was joint top scorer with 12 goals and Bob continued to blow up my phone and sending people to talk to me," Mambo recalled.

“In 2001 after coach Reinhardt Fabisch came back for his second stint with Harambee Stars, we played against Gabon at Kasarani — I had a great game and scored the winner as we won 2-1. After the match a coach from an American college offered me a chance to go study and play football in the USA but again Bob personally convinced me to take up the chance to move to Belgium.

He also sent me to talk to John ‘Mo’ Muiruri and the fact that he wanted to take both of us to Belgium appealed to me. I had been playing with him from Junior National teams and had become good friends. The deal was sealed and off we went to Belgium,” revealed Mambo.

“We settled very well and fast. We could encourage and support each other. Mo is like a brother to me and remains the best player in my generation that I have ever played with.

“He played regularly for Gent than I did but still gave me hope and consistently encouraged me. After three years we separated as I moved to Sweden and played for several teams there before again moving to Norway for two years. I came back to Sweden and settled to date,’’ he added.

Important to note is that Mambo came back to Kenya and re-joined Coast Stars on loan for a season.

“I was not getting enough play time even when Gent sent me to other teams on loan. I just wanted to come back home and play football and that stint changed my life as I reinvented myself and went back to Sweden to join Orebro,” offered Mambo.

Mambo took over the national team captain’s armband from Musa Otieno after he retired in 2010 after being his deputy for a while, a moment he treasures to date.

“I played for the national team for 13 years and the fact that I was the deputy captain prepared me for the big role of being the team captain. It was a big honour and the fact that I have always been a down to earth person helped me a lot as I was calm on and off the pitch,” pointed out Mambo.

Despite the fact that he was a central midfielder, Mambo had a knack of scoring goals and was even the top scorer while turning out for Tusker in the East and Central Africa Club Championship in Rwanda in 2000. Most of his goals were powerful headers and he attributes this to the fact that he also played basketball in primary and High School and that made him very good in the air.

“I was a box to box midfielder with an eye for goal. I loved to get into the box because I was good with aerial balls since I played basketball from primary and secondary level, that's how I got to score these many goals everywhere I played.

I was born a sportsman — I used to play basketball, football and a bit of handball when in school. I was also very good in volleyball. I was a booster for Serani High School and I remember there’s a year we went all the way to the finals of Coast Province but lost to Changamwe Secondary School who ruled volleyball in our region,” said Mambo.

“Football was however my biggest love since I believed through hard work, discipline and prayers I would make it far and thus why in secondary I took it so seriously and even started playing for Nyoka FC while still a student,” he added.

Despite playing football at the highest level in Sweden and Norway, his fondest memories as a player remains his time as an upcoming player in Kenya.

“I remember when I was playing for Admiral and Nyoka, I loved these times because thousands of fans would flock to watch these games. Football in Mombasa used to be so big and interesting and the fans knew all the fixtures across all leagues. People would talk about upcoming games over weekends and we would dress up in club house and walk all the way to the field with our fans singing and playing the simba ropa drums.

It was crazy and we would look forward to these matches. I will never forget those moments and it is sad that those times are gone and fans ran away from our stadiums. Another fond memory is when Coast stars was formed in 1999. Mombasa woke up again to become a footballing town after a long time that had been dominated by teams like Alaskan, Bandari and Lake Warriors. We had one the best seasons in coast and managed to beat Mumias Sugar 2-1 in the Moi Golden Cup final in Kasarani and I scored the winner.

And then Tusker winning the league and the Cecafa Cup in Kigali where I scored two goals in the final against APR in front of President Paul Kagame with a packed stadium — amazing feeling! I got so many fond memories of playing football in Kenya,” recollected Mambo.

Mambo advices young players to work hard but above all be disciplined. “They shouldn’t look for short cuts in order to make it to the big stage. Work hard because fruits of your own sweat are always the sweetest. Make yourself valuable and worthy by consistently improving your skills. Discipline should be top on the list, both off and on the pitch. Rules have to be followed if you are to be successful. And put God first in everything you do.”

Mambo, however, feels sports and sportsmen in Kenya are taken for granted. “If I was in charge of sports in Kenya I would give the great sportsmen and women the best support in terms of finances, facilities and encouragement.

I feel like the government doesn’t recognize or accept the fact that sports is real work and sportsmen have really been ignored in our country. I believe if the government took sports seriously, sponsors would be competing to partner with teams in all sports,” he said.

“We have gone through a lot of problems all in the name of representing and loving and putting our country first but bottom line is I didn’t benefit in any way apart from the 79 caps that I can boast to my friends and that’s all. I played with a Swedish guy called Teddy Luci and when he reached his 50th cap for Sweden, he got a gold watch worth millions of shillings from his federation as an appreciation. It is not about the worth of the gift he got but the fact that he had been appreciated which is very important.

We have a long way — from our government to our federations, we must do better for the next generation to be encouraged to take sports professionally just like other careers even though we all know the importance of education, we cannot undermine that,” lamented Mambo.

Despite the fact that Mambo is now a resident of Sweden where he is settled and working, he occasionally visits Kenya and in particular his home county Mombasa where he continues to support lower-tier teams.

“I facilitate youth teams with balls, jerseys, cons and other equipment I can get because I believe that is what they are really in need of. I also get huge support with these facilities from a good friend David Kenga, a former Kenyan international who is now based in the USA. We have always taken stuff to Kilifi, Rabai, Kokotoni, Tezo, Ribe to mention but a few,” he revealed.

As he settles down to his new role as the Head Coach of FC Gute, Mambo says, looking back, he is happy with the direction his life took through football. "Life has been good so far and I really thank God for all these favours that He has blessed me with. Venturing into coaching is something that I want to work hard on and see how far I can get. It is also my way of giving back to the sport that has been in my life ever since. Seeing kids, enjoy playing or coaching them is what excites me the most right now."

“I have two lovely kids, a teenage boy and a very beautiful daughter and I always find myself kitting my boy with football attire though he loves the sport himself. I am happy at where I am in life right now,” asserted Mambo.

Robert Mambo names current Harambee Stars left-back Erick Ouma, nicknamed Marcelo, as his favourite Kenyan player at the moment. Ouma features for Swedish side Vasalund and Mambo has had the privilege of watching the former Gor Mahia youngster develop into a fine player over the years.

Mambo's Harambee Stars Dream team

Goalkeeper: Mohammed Abbas

Defenders: Issa Kassim, Austin Oduor, Bobby Ogolla and Erick Ouma

Midfielders: Dan Ogada, John Baresi, John Muiruri, Joe Kadenge

Strikers: Dennis Oliech and Ambrose Ayoyi (Golden Boy)

Coaches: Reinhardt Fabisch (Head Coach) and Jacob "Ghost" Mulee (Assistant Coach)