Odindo Ayieko
20 March 2011
Nairobi — Steve Phiri, the man who plucked on time Kenya top goalkeeper John “JB” Busolo and midfielder Tom Odhiambo from local football and made them the first Kenyans to play in the South African league is back again in the country this time as coach to build star footballers.
Technical director
Phiri, a former Malawi international was last in Kenya 16 years ago when Kenya was among the top teams in East Africa, has been contracted by Thika United as technical director for the next six months.
He says his mission in Kenya is not only to make the Brookside Dairy- sponsored club to win the Kenyan Premier League but to unearth new stars from the club.
“Kenya has never lacked talent, but the standards of your game has gone down,” Phiri told journalists after holding a training session at the Thika Technical Institute grounds.
Can’t compare them
“I played here with top stars Allan Thigo, Wilberforce Mulamba, Austin Oduor….name them. The stars of Kenyan football in the late seventies and eighties. You cannot compare them with what you have today,” he said.
According to Phiri, the great Kenyan footballers of the past had discipline and had also gone through age group football, but currently the system is so haphazard and the management poor making it difficult for the game to grow.
“I am not on a mission to rebuild Kenyan football wholly, but I can play a role in developing talent especially at Thika United who are in partnership with our company Pro Sport of South Africa.”
AllAfrica – All the Time
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Kenya: Steve Phiri On Thika United’s Technical Staff