FKF Vice President McDonald Mariga has blamed “disrespectful” fans for the unceremonious retirement of his brother and former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama.Follow our WhatsApp channel for more newsWanyama entered the field of play like any other normal day on 15 November 2020 in an AFCON Group G qualifier match against Comoros, but that in the end turned out to be the last time the former Tottenham Hotspur star featured for the national team.Michael Olunga open to Al Duhail returnA section of fans have always believed that Wanyama took an early retirement and have been calling for his return to the national fold, especially because Kenya has never really got a replacement of his class and calibre.Wanyama was meant to rescind his retirement decision after about four years in the cold when he received a call-up to the national team for the upcoming friendlies against Chad, but pulled out of the squad as announced by FKF on Friday, 30 May 2025.##NAJAVA_MECA_8957215##In an interview with the press on the sidelines of the 9th FKF congress on Saturday, 31 May at a Nairobi Hotel, Mariga blamed the disrespect from fans for Wanyama’s unceremonious retirement.“For a player, you tend to think fans do not give you respect. In other countries, if someone retires, you retire honourably, you have a retirement match, but you know here, it feels like people do not appreciate you, so you do not even care to do a memorial match because of the disrespect,” said Mariga.Gor Mahia midfielder warns Mashemeji Derby win is “not guaranteed”The former Inter Milan midfielder went ahead to plead for respect and support from fans for the playing unit.“I would therefore just ask fans to support the players and let us allow the coach to do his job. Even as a player, you cannot just decide when to retire; a player feels his body, and that is how you know when you retire and when to still play,” he concluded.##NAJAVA_MECA_8957778##Kenya will face Chad in back-to-back friendlies on Saturday, 7 and Tuesday, 10 June 2025, in Morocco.
