Team needs experience: Mariga defends Wanyama's Harambee Stars inclusion
The ex-Tottenham, Southampton and Montreal midfielder, now 34 years old, featured for Harambee Stars back in November 2020.
McDonald Mariga has defended his brother Victor Wanyama's recent call-up to the national team Harambee Stars, saying that he believes experience is an important part of every team and that Wanyama has it in leaps and bounds.
Wanyama, who has most recently featured in the Scottish second tier for Dunfermline Athletic but is extremely experienced, having featured for some of Europe's top teams, had been tapped by head coach Benni McCarthy to assist his midfield formation for upcoming friendly matches.
The Stars will play against Chad in two friendly matches scheduled for 7th and 10th June, 2025, in Morocco.
The ex-Tottenham, Southampton and Montreal midfielder, now 34 years old, featured for Harambee Stars back in November 2020 when he captained the side in a disappointing 2-1 loss to Comoros in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Wanyama did, however, pull out of the squad a few days later, stating that he had personal matters to attend to but according to Mariga, the call-up was not out of place.
"I think the coach wanted some experience and leadership added to the squad. We have a good team, but limited experience," said Mariga as quoted by Pulse Sports.
"As a player, you want to learn under someone experienced."
"I don’t know what [Victor] has decided, but I will have a conversation with the coach to clarify his thinking. I have no power to decide who gets called up and who does not," he added.
Most of the ridicule that head coach Benni McCarthy received regarding the Wanyama call-up was seen online, with plenty of fans showing their displeasure. Mariga says he is not sure what the noise is about.
"Fans cannot tell someone to retire if they feel they can give more. We’ve seen players like Zanetti retire at 40 or 41. If you can still contribute to your club and country, it is okay. Asking players to retire early is a big problem," explained Mariga.
"Even in our league, we call for players to retire as young as 32. Yet out there, players retire at 40 or 41. If you can still do it at that age, there’s no problem."
Wanyama is yet to communicate publicly again regarding his call-up.
