Former Harambee Stars midfielder, McDonald Mariga, has responded to his former teammate Jamal Mohamed’s criticisms regarding his alleged failure to assist Kenyan players in securing European club opportunities.
In a previous interview, Jamal contended that Mariga, along with Dennis Oliech, had the privilege of playing for prominent football clubs in the world but had not done enough to facilitate opportunities for other Kenyan players. Jamal claimed that Mariga and Oliech didn’t use their influence to recommend other players for European teams.
Mariga, however, dismissed these claims, asserting that players do not possess the authority to dictate which players teams sign. He argued that these allegations were merely excuses from players who had not succeeded in their European endeavors. Mariga exemplified his point by mentioning Musa Otieno, who, despite having football-playing siblings, did not help them secure positions in South Africa. Mariga cited his own experiences playing for Inter Milan and Parma and explained that he didn’t assist his brothers in joining these teams because the decisions were beyond his control.
During a radio interview on Radio47, Mariga stated, “When I was at Parma, Francis Ouma, a top scorer in Kenya, came to Parma for trials. His agent brought him, he did trials, and it didn’t go well. But when he came, we lived together in the same house. That’s what West Africans do. They host players who come for trials, providing them with accommodation and comfort during the evaluation. Mariga emphasized that players cannot simply take anyone to play in Europe, highlighting that even renowned players like Javier Zaneti and Esteban Cambiasso could not guarantee positions for others.
Mariga, a 2010 UEFA Champions League winner with Inter Milan, denied having shared an agent with Jamal and suggested that Jamal had numerous opportunities to succeed in Europe but was unsuccessful in his trials. Mariga noted that Jamal had undertaken multiple trials at various first division teams in Kenya without achieving success.
Mariga asserted that the West Africans were ahead of Kenyan players in terms of success, primarily because they were more inclined to admit when things didn’t go well. He emphasized that reaching a higher level of competition from Kenya was challenging, and players should accept when things don’t go as planned.
Mariga, who had previously played for Tusker and Kenya Pipeline, began his European journey in Sweden, where he played for Enkorpings and had a one-year stint with Helsingborgs IF. He subsequently moved to Italy, joining Serie A club Parma, where he played for three years before receiving an offer from Inter Milan in January 2010. Mariga also had a loan spell at Real Sociedad in Spain and played for Latina and Real Oviedo.
On the other hand, Jamal Mohamed, a former Mathare United midfielder, embarked on his career in Sweden, playing for Enkorpings before pursuing opportunities in Kuwait, Romania, and Oman.
