Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa has rallied Harambee Stars to qualify for the 2020 Africa Nations Championships (Chan) after crashing out of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Stars were tossed out of the continental championship after finishing third in Group C and Mwendwa has highlighted sealing a place in the next year’s event as his priority.
Stars were on the verge of a historic second round qualification as one of the four group stage best losers but their hopes were dashed by Benin, who squeezed their name into the list at the expense of Kenya following their barren draw with Cameroon.
Stars, who returned to the tournament after a 15-year long hiatus, played three matches— losing to Algeria(2-0) and Senegal (3-0) before coming from behind twice to beat Tanzania 3-2.
Mwendwa expressed satisfaction with the results reaped in Egypt and insisted that he is keen to ensure the team qualify to Chan and the subsequent Afcon tournaments. Kenya are set to launch their Chan bid against Tanzania this month in the first round.
“We did a good job in terms of preparations and I am pleased with the performance of the team. Unfortunately, we lost two key players before it began and it's part of football. It was a great learning experience and we are now focused to have the team make their qualification regular. Before then let us try to qualify for Chan which will give the players another platform to learn more.”
Coach Sebastien Migne admitted that his charges were short of experience, unlike the teams which booked places in the round of 16. Prior to the team’s departure to France, the tactician asked fans to lower their expectations and the termed Kenya’s continental trophy onslaught as a far fetched dream.
“We were not ready to compete for the title. We played against the tournament’s regulars and the gap was there for all to see. It was a good learning experience for the players both in camp and in the tournament. We committed some mistakes which can be avoided in future.”
Meanwhile, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed has reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting all national teams on international assignments. The government shouldered the team’s budget for the tournament estimated at Sh244 million which catered for the players' allowances, kitting and hosting the team in France for their preparations among other logistics.
“We will do everything we can to support our national teams through the Sports Fund. The football team gave a good account of themselves and I laud their commitment and sacrifice. They were competing against experienced teams and going by our absence, we had no chance of claiming the continental crown.”
