Trimming Bandari to the bone could be costly decision
Bandari defender Dan Otewa (left) vies for the ball with Kakamega Homeboyz's David Okoth during their Kenyan Premier League at KPA Mbaraki Sports Club in Mombasa on February 8, 2020. The teams drew 1-1.
What you need to know:
- In this vein, it is easier for the coach to balance the squad with special attentions on goalkeeping, defence, the midfield and striking.
- In as much I agree with reducing the wage bill, cutting the playing unit drastically might be counterproductive.
My heart is bleeding for Bandari Football Club after the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) board of trustees recently decided to reduce the number of players to 27.
In my opinion, it will not be practically possible for a team which is not only chasing the Kenyan Premier League title, which has eluded them for decades, to live up to expectations.
No forgetting that the team will also be involved in tournaments such as the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Shield in search of a ticket to the Caf Confederation Cup Championships.
In the English Premier League, for instance, each squad contains not more than 17 players, who do not fulfill the Home Grown Player (HGP) criteria and another 25 who must be homegwon, bringing the total number to 42.
In this vein, it is easier for the coach to balance the squad with special attentions on goalkeeping, defence, the midfield and striking.
Lessons to learn
The lean squad, as currently constituted , will leave the coach with very little options. Burnout is a real threat. It will get worse in case of injuries like was the case during the 2018/19 season when least six first team players were hurt.
In as much I agree with reducing the wage bill, cutting the playing unit drastically might be counterproductive.
Being a parastatal team, money is not a very big issue compared to other clubs. The technical bench should be allowed a minimum of 35 players to choose from and another five on a youth programme attached to the senior team, otherwise Bandari will return to be a mid-table team.
I am disappointed that this is the major reason for inactivity of Bandari in the ongoing transfer window even after they released eight players on instructions from the board of trustees.
Meanwhile, does the Ministry of Sports know exactly what they are doing, especially when it comes to matters football or even basketball and volleyball?
Other countries have fully opened their sports. The Tanzanian Premier League was played to the end. Uganda and Rwanda have set dates for the league kick off, why should Kenya be an exception?
