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Here are the five biggest losers from Emerging Stars' participation at the 2024 COSAFA Cup.
Kenya’s Emerging Stars were sent packing from the 2024 COSAFA Cup after finishing second in group D, winning two games and losing one, which earned them six points.
Even though they narrowly missed out on the semi-finals, they can look back on their week-long escapade with a lot of pride, and the players who got a chance to show what they can do have proven themselves enough for a more prominent role in the main side.
Although many players gave a good account of themselves, others did not take advantage of the opportunity.
Here are the biggest losers from the tournament.
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Paul Ochuoga
The Gor Mahia defender had a tournament to forget big-time. Given the chance to impress as a left-back against Comoros, you might say that it was not his natural position, but still, he did not help himself.
He was needlessly booked for a foul he did not need to commit early in the Comoros match, before giving a penalty away and being sent off for a second bookable offence before half-time. His failure to shield his right winger well resulted in a mix up with keeper Byrne Omondi, leading to the penalty.
John Ochieng
Started the first two games against Zambia and Zimbabwe and although he did not have a forgettable tournament, he did not do enough to give Engin Firat a future selection headache.
Although he showed tactical intelligence in bits and pieces, some of his marking was rushed and clumsy, and he was rightly subbed off for Stanley Wilson against Comoros. He is young and still has time, but this was a tournament he never took advantage of.
Hassan Beja
Hassan Beja was given a first start against Zambia, and he is possibly the one that never took his chance. He struggled to retain possession in the final third any time the ball was fed to him, and the timing of his runs was poor.
He was rightly subbed off at half time for Patrick Otieno, and did nothing to give Firat something to think about in future.
Moses Shumah
You could say that all the players that did not play were big losers, as they never got chances to show what they could do. These include the likes of Aldrine Kibet, who was only given five minutes against Comoros.
However, Kakamega Homeboyz forward Moses Shumah was the biggest loser. Having endured a difficult second half to the season, he was not even in the initial final squad for South Africa. However, he made the trip after Hannif Wesonga had to withdraw given urgent club commitments.
Shumah, who has three caps to his name, never played a single minute at the tournament, and it may well have put him further down the pecking order for the main team. He needs to get his house in order at club level to earn the manager’s trust again.
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