Mwendwa gives thumbs up to Mbamba’s surprise call-up to Harambee Stars
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa has backed Sweden-based midfielder Christopher Mbamba to come good for Harambee Stars.
The little known Mbamba is alongside Crawley Town defender David Sesay the surprise inclusions in coach Sebastian Migne’s 26-man squad ahead of the team’s final 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Ghana.
“I trust the coach and his selection. I have just been informed that the current squad has eighty percent of players that we have nurtured in the last three years,” said Mwendwa.
“Then the coach has brought in this boy from Sweden, I’m told he is very good from his statistics and contribution. But now, the technical team will have a closer look at him and make a decision,” he added.
GOOD VIBES
The 26-year old Mbamba was born to a Namibian father and Kenyan mother in Zimbabwe and currently turns out as an attacking midfielder or winger for Sweden’s second tier side Oskarshamna AIK. He has represented Sweden at the U-17 and U-20 level.
“I feel honoured (to play for Kenya). It’s the greatest privilege in football to be able to represent your home country and I’m very much looking forward to touching the ground with my fellow Kenyans,” Bamba told Nairobi News.
“The chats I’ve had with the Kenyan base have given me nothing but good vibes and I’m happy. At the international level, it’s always going to be good competition, but that’s what we live for,” he added.
Kenya will face Ghana at the Baba Yara stadium in Kumasi on March 23, in the final match of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.