The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has organised a training camp for the national team in preparation for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament slated for June this year. The official date for the camp is yet to be communicated.
It is the first time that Harambee Stars will be playing in the tourney since 2004 and they ought to have prepared enough prior to the start date if they want to make an impact in African football. The training camp that is set to take three weeks is a step to expose the players to other professionals and also motivate them to give their best come June.
Stars, who still have one match to play against Ghana in the AFCON qualifiers, had had a rather challenging campaign in the qualifiers due to shortage of funds at the FKF. The team had problems honoring away fixtures as foreign based players paid for their own tickets to away matches as well as home matches. Players were driven by patriotism to qualify for the tournament and it is only fair that FKF and Ministry of Sports give them all the support they need to make an Impact in Cairo.
Harambee Stars Coach Sebastian Migne disclosed that he and FKF President Nick Mwendwa traveled to France last week on a reconnaissance mission to scout possible locations for the training camp. He further called to the government and sponsors to chip in so as to help the team give Kenyans a good show in Cairo come June, when the tournament starts.
“We looked at a few possibilities with the President. It would be ideal if we go to such a camp but all that will depend on the support we receive from the government and the sponsors,” Migne was quoted by The Star.
The coach further remarked that he will give unnoticed players an opportunity to stake a claim to be in the plane to Cairo. The coach is planning on doing so by first fielding a majority of players from the Under 23 squad for the final fixture of the qualifiers against Ghana and bolster the team with a few foreign-based players who haven’t been getting much playtime at their respective clubs. Ayub Timbe, Ovella Ochieng, Joseph Okumu and skipper Victor Wanyama are among the players who will be fielded alongside the bulk of the Under 23 squad against the Black Stars.
“We want to give Wanyama and Timbe an opportunity to get minutes on the pitch but majorly, we will have 16 home-based players from the under 23s as you know they will be preparing for the Olympic qualifiers and also Chan. We want to not only give them a chance to be in AFCON squad but also to be ready for those two qualifiers,” Migne remarked.
The French Tactician admitted that AFCON will be a difficult one for Kenyans as the team has not played in a tournament of that caliber for a long time. It is an opportunity for Harambee Stars to give a good image for Kenyan Football.
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