Victor Wanyama has worn the Kenya jersey 64 times. But he retired from international football in 2021. Since then, Kenya has been pushing for his return. But the Montreal Impact (MLS) midfielder wants more sporting guarantees to make his comeback.
In September 2021, Victor Wanyama had decided to say stop by retiring from international football. But in December, there were reports that he would be back with Kenya soon. However, it is still not effective. The reasons for this delay are inherent to the structuring around the Harambee Stars. The 31-year-old player wants to take his time to think.
"It's a bit difficult because we have a lot of good players, but the problem is that they have not been satisfied with one coach. Having different coaches changing players all the time is hard. But now I hope they settled on one coach. I talked to the minister and I talked to the (new) coach. They're all asking me to come back but I said 'I need some time to think about it. Maybe I can come back and help the team, help the young players understand what it means to represent their country. I think the players deserve better treatment and more professionalism," Victor Wanyama told BBC Sport Africa. This chronic instability is notably materialized by the fact that Kenya has had seven coaches in six years. Currently, the position is occupied by the Turkish Engin Firat.
No challenge, no return?
Nevertheless, we can think that the lack of challenge is not foreign to the reluctance of Victor Wanyama to return to the selection. Kenya will not see the 2023 AFCON. The country does not even participate in the qualifiers. The fault of a FIFA suspension for interference of the Ministry of Sports that had dissolved the Kenya Football Federation for alleged misappropriation of funds. Moreover, the former Tottenham player regrets this suspension. He sees it as a brake for many young people.
"I talk to some players a lot, trying to advise them on what to do and I think it's only a matter of time before they are in the best leagues in the world. But one of the biggest platforms for them to be seen is to play for their national team, representing their country. When they take that away from young players, it's hard for them. I hope Kenya can get back to where it was because we lost a lot when the country was not playing competitive games. No doubt Kenyan fans will be hoping to see their players in official competition soon, as the suspension has been lifted since November. And maybe with Victor Wanyama, who knows...
