Pundits caution Kinnah

Some renowned football pundits have cautioned Flames coach Kinnah Phiri against being emotional when reacting to public outcry over performance of the national team.

Celebrated former Flames goalkeeper Boniface Maganga and seasoned football commentator Moses Dossi were reacting to Kinnah’s sentiments that the fans had no say on whether he should stay as coach for the Flames.

Maganga, who played alongside Kinnah in the Flames side that won the East and Central Africa Senior Challenge Cup in 1978 and the following year, said Kinnah needs to realise that the fans also own the national team.

“It was unfortunate for my brother Kinnah to say that. He might have said that in the heat of the moment, but he needs to realise that he holds a public office and, therefore, should be careful with what he says.

“The national team belongs to the people; it is unlike a club and when it underperforms, the people are likely to voice out. He gets paid from taxpayers’ money and on top of that, they pay their way into the stadium. So, he should be able to accept criticism,” said Maganga.

However, Maganga said to err is human and the coach might have uttered the sentiments out of sheer frustration.

On his part, Dossi said Kinnah might have said that out of confusion.

“He certainly was not in the right frame of mind considering the circumstances, but he should avoid being emotional because the fans are also entitled to speak their mind, the team belongs to them,” said Dossi.

FAM chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda said they always advise the coach on how he should conduct himself, especially when dealing with the public.

“It is just unfortunate that he reacted that way,” said Nyirenda.

But Maganga and Dossi said they were against fans’ demand for the removal of Kinnah.

Said Maganga: “I will not agree with the fans on that because there are a number of factors that we have to look at such as the strength of the opponents [Ghana] compared to our team, players’ motivation and level of preparations.

“Of course, we all wanted to win the game, but looking at the strength of Ghana, realistically it was a tall order.”

He, however, advised Kinnah to seriously consider strengthening his backroom staff, saying he should be able to draft in tacticians who can help him.

“For instance, Kinnah played as a striker and, therefore, he is an expert in that field. Then he has Young [Chimodzi] and Jack [Chamangwana] who were defenders and they assist him in that area, but he lacks expertise in other areas such as goalkeeping and midfield,” said Maganga on a point Dossi also raised.

Dossi and Nyirenda said while Kinnah could have his own shortfalls, it was unrealistic to expect an upset.

Nyirenda also reiterated FAM’s backing of Kinnah.

“We also have to look at the other side of the coin like; have we given the coach the necessary resources for him to produce results?” Nyirenda asked.