Oliech: Kenya legend on why he will not follow Henry & Pirlo

Dennis Oliech has revealed he is not interested in following the coaching path like Arsenal icon Thierry Henry and his counterpart, Italy legend Andrea Pirlo.

The 36-year-old has not been actively involved in the game since hanging his boots in 2019. There have been calls from several quarters for the former Harambee Star to go for his coaching licenses, but that is not in his mind.

"I do not want to be a coach, I want to be working in the federation to stand a chance of helping upcoming footballers through youth programs," Oliech said.

"You can be a coach but without facilities, you will fail. Look at former renowned footballers, they don't make it as coaches. Bigger percentages fail; recent examples being [Thierry Henry] and current Juventus coach [Andrea] Pirlo. They are struggling."

If it is coaching, the former Gor Mahia and Mathare United player has stated it will be about helping youngsters. 

"Well, if coaching is the only alternative, maybe under 14 or 16; but for a senior team no, maybe being a manager alongside the likes of Musa [Otieno] and maybe Jamal [Mohamed]," Oliech continued.

"We do not have active under-19, under-17, or even under-16 national teams in the country.

"It is what I want to do, to help set youth structures to help the country have that set-up. I am hopeful we can do better with the right structures, it is the only way to make football better in the country."

In a recent interview, Oliech revealed he made a grave mistake by leaving French side AC Ajaccio for Dubai CSC in the United Arab Emirates.

The Kenyan made 50 appearances for the Bears between 2013 and 2015, scoring eight goals in the process. When Dubai came calling, he grabbed the offer and made a move, something he regrets to date.

"I made a mistake when I moved from Ajjacio to Dubai, and that is how my career ended.

"It was a grave mistake that pushed me to retirement. If I would have stayed in Europe then I would still be playing at 35 or 36 like [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic. I still regret it but I am thankful for what I have managed to achieve."