Amrouche’s vision: Help the team qualify for the next Africa Cup of Nations finals

BY GILBERT WANDERA

KENYA: After winning the 2013 Senior Challenge Cup, Kenyan coach Adel Amrouche says it is time to look at the bigger picture with focus on helping the team qualify for the next Africa Cup of Nations finals.

In an exclusive interview with FeverPitch, Amrouche called on Kenya’s football administrators to put in place measures that will enable the team play in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco.

“I said before the this tournament kicked off that our focus should not be on winning it, but rather building a team that can play in the next Africa Cup of Nations finals.

“This is behind us now and we must begin to think about playing at a much bigger stage and rubbing shoulders with major teams on the continent like Nigeria,” he said.

He added: “For us to achieve our dreams we must have good support from all football stakeholders to ensure good preparations which is the only thing that can guarantee the kind of results we are looking for.”

Qualification matches for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals begin early next year and Kenya will be seeking to return to Africa’s biggest stage for the first since 2004.

Amrouche has also paid glowing tribute to the playing unit for playing as a team in ensuring they got positive results at home. Stars beat Sudan 2-0 with both goals coming from AFC Leopards forward Allan Wanga.

congratulations our in

“The players worked as a team and this was a major contributing factor in ensuring we got positive results on the pitch. We were always one team and there was no one who was more special than the other,” he said.

Amrouche ended the team’s long wait for silverware in winning the 2013 Senior Challenge Cup. It was the first time that Harambee Stars are winning the regional tournament since 2002 when they lifted the trophy in Tanzania.

The win came on a day that Kenya were celebrating 50 years of independence. Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka were the chief guests during the final on Thursday at Nyayo Stadium.

Meanwhile, congratulations continue to pour in for Stars following their triumph in the Senior Challenge Cup.

Kenya Football Coaches Association (KEFOCA) hailed the win and at the same time called on better preparations for future matches. The association’s Secretary General Bob Oyugi said the technical bench needs to be more empowered to handle technical matters.

“On behalf of KEFOCA, I want to commend players and the entire technical bench for getting us out of the 11-year-long drought by lifting the regional trophy,” said Oyugi.