Moments after guiding Kenya to their 7th CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup, Kenya Harambee Stars’ new head coach Paul Put is now focused to help the country qualify for the 2019 CAF African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
We are going to organize those friendlies to give me an opportunity to know the foreign-based players too, as we prepare for the match against Ghana.
Even for the local players the job is not done, I will follow them by watching the local league.
We need a very balanced team.
Kenya opened their campaign with a 2-1 loss in Group F match away to Sierra Leone in June, but they will want to beat Ghana.
Playing Ghana is not easy, you have to know you are playing one of the biggest nations in football, so I have to say preparation will be key for us.
International Friendly Matches:
As preparatory measures, Put plans to have atleast two friendly matches in March and May 2018, and thereafter, a training camp with all the foreign-based players.
We are going to have two more matches in June, preferably in a camp set up for one or two weeks depending on when the foreign-based players break in May.
About the manager:
Put was manager of the Gambian national team between 2008 and 2011, before being appointed as manager of Burkina Faso in March 2012.
He had previously managed Belgian club sides Geel, Lokeren and Lierse, before being banned for three-years by the Royal Belgian Football Association for his alleged involvement in the Ye Zheyun match-fixing scandal.
Put left his role as Burkina Faso manager in February 2015, before becoming manager of Jordan in June 2015. Following a two-week suspension by the Jordan Football Association on December 20, 2015, Put resigned his position as manager of the Jordan national team in January 2016.
He was shortlisted for the Guinea national team job in July 2016. In February 2017 he was one of a number of managers on the shortlist for the vacant Rwanda national team manager role.
On October 30, 2016, Paul Put became the new coach of USM Alger for two years. His first match was in derby against USM El Harrach and lost 2–0.
