Kenya’s Harambee Stars have made history by returning to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals after a 15-year wait. This was confirmed on Friday after the Confederation’s of African Football (CAF) voted to ban Sierra Leone from taking part in the 2019 qualifiers, which means Kenya will definitely finish in the top two spots in Group F.
But while we celebrate the good job of our national team, the real work begins now as the team begins preparation to play in Africa’s biggest tournament. For Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Ministry of Sports, it means they have their work cut out in ensuring the team gets the facilities they deserve before taking on some of Africa’s best teams.
There is at least six months between now and next June when the tournament kicks off and in between, all efforts, including organising top profile friendly matches, must be made to enable Stars prepare well.
Two weeks ago, Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa said there were plans to send the team to France for training. It is hoped that these plans will not be stopped by the perennial excuse of money shortage. The two entities must also ensure the players and technical bench are motivated before the tournament starts by being paid adequate allowances and all their other needs well taken care of.
It is unfortunate that most of the time we don’t treat our teams well after they have qualified for major tournaments and this trend that should end. For Harambee Stars players, they must treat the opportunity of playing at Afcon seriously as they will be going toe to toe with some of Africa’s top players.
The tournament is a big stage for players to showcase their talent and they must take it with both hands. They will have to give their best considering there will be agents and scouts from clubs across the world who will be watching them play. A good number of current Stars players are nearing the end of their careers and Afcon provides them with a chance to impress and get contracts at top clubs. Lastly, sponsors also need to come in and support the team now that they will be playing at the big stage.
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