Back when Dennis Oliech’s move to Gor Mahia’s was made official, there were lots of approval and calls for him to be immediately included in Harambee Stars squad for the African Cup of Nations despite the tournament being 7 months away at the time.
The calls did reach Harambee Stars head coach Sebastian Migne who was quick to point out that he is not against the idea provided Dennis Oliech proves himself at the club level. Oliech embraced the challenge and scored in his first full debut against Posta Rangers.
Dennis The Menace has gone on to score a few more goals for his boyhood club but questions still remain as to whether he deserves that AFCON slot. Oliech is still a reliable goal netter with the right service behind him despite losing the pace that once made him one of the most promising youngsters in world Football. However, there are other players in the land capable of producing the same and at an even younger age.
While he may be a good pro to have around Egypt, his inclusion at the expense of players who will still be playing five years from now does not make for an exciting future. Dennis Oliech has truly served the nation and his gloryyears will never be forgotten, but for the sake of the growth of our football, he better not be on the plane to Cairo.