Bobby misses out on Harambee Stars job

Soccer. The Cranes coach, who strongly denies he applied for the role, makes final shortlist but loses to Algerian Amrouche, who is due to be unveiled as Kenya coach today.

It was yet the briefest but strongest dismissal Uganda Cranes boss Bobby Williamson gave regarding his being shortlisted for Kenya’s coaching role.

“I have a job,” he wrote in a Short Message Service (SMS) reply to the Daily Monitor’s inquest on Tuesday, “(I have) heard all this last week. Not responding.”

But according to an official from Football Kenya Federation (FKF), Bobby was among more than 10 coaches that applied to replace Frenchman Henri Michel, who quit the Harambee Stars job recently, but could only make the final four.

“The truth is Bobby applied for the job and made the final shortlisted four,” John Kariuki, FKF press officer, told the Daily Monitor via phone from Nairobi on Tuesday.

“But I’m afraid he has not made it. Truth is on Wednesday we shall unveil Adel (Amrouche, a 44-year-old Algerian) as the new Harambee Stars coach.” The other two shortlisted for the top job according to a press release by FKF yesterday include Frenchman Raymond Domenech and Serb Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic, Rwanda’s coach.

Bobby’s failure to substantiate the claims that he applied for the job come after his employers, Fufa, last week strongly dismissed reports that the Scot was on the Kenyan radar.

Fufa rebuttals
“The federation wishes to clarify that Mr Robert Williamson popularly known as ‘Bobby’ is still serving a running football contract with Fufa,” reads in part Fufa’s rebuttal.

“The federation denies knowledge of such links and our employee too, refutes the same media reports.

“There are, however, clear procedures within the Fifa statutes, known to both Uganda and Kenya incase a federation employee of this nature wishes shift places.”

Bobby’s contract that also includes helping Uganda to the 2014 World Cup was renewed in 2011.

Since joining the Cranes in 2008, the Scot has won four Cecafa titles and qualified home-based stars to the continental African Nations Championships (Chan). But Bobby has on three occasions failed to lead the country to the Nations Cup, the last two heartbreakingly for Cranes coming on the last day. His next immediate campaign is an attempt at making the 2014 World Cup. Uganda lie second on two points behind Senegal in their World Cup qualifying group. The Cranes next face Liberia away next month.

amwanguhya@ug.nationmedia.com