‘A Great Thing to See’ - Michael Olunga Lauds Local-Based Talent After Shining For Harambee Stars at CHAN 2024

Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga has heaped praise on the local-based stars that represented Kenya at the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN), believing the tournament has shown that the league has alot of untapped potential.

Kenya upset the odds to finish top of group A, considered the pool of death, which comprised DR Congo, Angola, Morocco and Zambia, before getting knocked out on penalties at the quarter final stage.

Most of the players showed their capabilities, and McCarthy even retained most of them for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Gambia and Seychelles later this month.

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Speaking to the media from the Utalii Grounds in Nairobi on Monday, Olunga, who joined Al Arabi SC in Qatar in the summer, lauded the side’s fighting spirit during their conquests at Kasarani Stadium during the tournament.

“Well, first of all, I want to congratulate the national team for the splendid performance they produced. At the beginning of the tournament, nobody really gave us a chance, but you could see the hard work and dedication the players showed in every match,” Olunga said.

Olunga praised the team’s tactical discipline especially in the games against Angola and Morocco which saw them reduced to 10 men, but still walked away undefeated.

“Even in two games where we went down to 10 men, they fought for the country. That’s a great thing to see.”

Olunga, who himself played in the FKF Premier League for three seasons before moving to Sweden in 2016, believes the Kenyan topflight league can see even more untapped talents grow within it if more investment is committed, which will in turn see the country achieve sustained success at that level.

“It’s encouraging that this kind of performance is now being replicated, starting from the Kenyan Premier League and carried into the national team. It shows that we have the capability of producing very good players from our local leagues.

“It also highlights that our league is strong, it just needs support in the right areas so that we can produce even better and higher-quality players.”

Olunga now believes that the 25 men that played a part in making Kenya reach the quarter finals have enriched the country’s national pool, which will only make Harambee Stars stronger. 

“This is very positive because now the coach has a lot of options for the team. With the impressive displays, you can see 13 players have been retained by the head coach. That’s a great sign.”

As he linked up with his teammates for the first time since CHAN, the captain expressed optimism about the blend of local and foreign-based players in camp.

“This being my first day in training, I’m looking forward to seeing how things develop. Once the full squad is assembled, I’m sure it’s going to be a great opportunity for exposure and for the players to blend together.”