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Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu has highlighted the benefits of regularly qualifying for AFCON for Kenyan players while naming his team-mate among those who inspire him.
Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu believes a lot of Kenyan players are missing out on opportunities to play for major leagues across the world because of the country’s inability to qualify regularly for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Kenya have only qualified four times for the AFCON since the first edition in 1957, making their debut in 1972 before returning in 1990, 2004, and 2019.
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08:04 - 07.10.2023
STARS ABROAD Joseph Okumu reveals why he snubbed Arsenal & Borussia Dortmund for Stade de Reims
Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu has explained why he rejected offers from Premier League and Bundesliga clubs to sign for French side Stade de Reims
They failed to qualify for the 2021 edition before being kicked out of the 2023 qualifiers due to a FIFA suspension and will have to be at their best to secure a ticket for the 2025 tournament in Morocco even though they are already assured of a place in 2027 as one of the co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
However, Okumu feels it is important for Kenya to regularly take part in the continental tournament since it is where players are scouted for top teams around Europe as it happened to him in 2019 when his sterling performance earned him a move from Real Monarchs to IF Elfsborg in Sweden, which began his European adventure.
“It is an interesting thing for the country to be in the biggest competition in Africa,” Okumu, who now plays for Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims, said on Friday.
“It is something that we look up to and thanks to that, it's why I was scouted to go to Sweden which led to me being here today so it is crucial for the country to qualify for such competitions.”
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06:30 - 06.10.2023
STARS ABROAD Revealed: Engin Firat hands maiden Harambee Stars call up to Exeter City defender
Exeter City who ply their trade in the English League One released a statement confirming the defender’s call-up to the Harambee Stars.
Okumu spent two years in Sweden before a €3.5 million (Ksh543 million) move to Belgian top-flight club KAA Gent in 2021 and after an equally impressive two-year spell, he ditched them for Reims last summer for €12 million (Ksh1.8 billion).
While he is now playing in a bigger league, Okumu has listed Harambee Stars team-mate and Mamelodi Sundowns defender Brian Mandela as among the center-backs who inspired him at the early stages of his career alongside Senegal and Al Hilal’s Kalidou Koulibaly as well as veteran Brazilian Thiago Silva who plays for Chelsea.
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07:55 - 09.09.2023
FOOTBALL Harambee Stars: Why Firat must stick with Omurwa-Okumu partnership in central defence
The centre-back pairing of Joseph Okumu and Johnstone Omurwa produced many positives in Thursday's win against Qatar and the Stars coach must avoid the temptation of tinkering with it
“There are quite a few, I used to follow them when I was playing in Kenya. Brian Mandela, Koulibaly and Thiago Silva. I liked the kind of quality they have, they are calm when needed to be and if they have to be aggressive, they are,” he added.
Okumu has 18 caps for Harambee Stars and was involved in Kenya’s last two friendly games against Qatar, in which he scored the opening goal as they won 2-1, and the 1-0 loss to South Sudan in September.
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