The former national team Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama has reversed his decision of international football retirement after making an announcement last year in September following 15 years service for Kenya.
Confirming the news on Thursday morning after their meeting, Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba said the ‘Lion of Muthurwa’ as he is popularly known will continue playing the game having made 71 appearances so far with the national team and scoring seven goals.
“I am delighted Victor Wanyama has agreed to return fully to Harambee Stars, rescinding his earlier decision to exit the team,” Namwamba said.
“In our mission to rebuild our football and elevate our national teams, our elite players must be at the heart of this renaissance. Ogada Olunga too is in.” Ababu wrote on Twitter.
Wanyama, a revered midfielder who became the first East African to play in the English Premier League made his debut as a 15 year old teenager in 2007, coming on as a substitute in a friendly match against Nigeria.
He went on to grow in stature and became a household name, partnering in midfield with his elder brother MacDonald Mariga, before he took over the mantle after the latter retired.
He was handed the captaincy in 2014 by former coach Adel Amrouche after the retirement of Dennis Oliech.
The 31 year-old former Celtic FC,Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur player is clubless after leaving Major Soccer League side CF Montreal Impact having managed to hit the net five times to his side and assisted in 79 matches of which 77 were starts.
Kenya whose interim suspension was lifted by world football body,FIFA is set to take part in 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers where they have been placed in Group C with Cameroon, Burundi and Namibia.
