African championships an opportunity for local players to prove themselves

With Kenya’s hope of qualifying for next year’s World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations hanging in the balance after falling 1-0 to Mozambique in Maputo on September 6, participating in the African Nations Championships (CHAN) will be a good opportunity for the country to redeem her seemingly dented image in the sport.

Besides entering a formidable team in the continental event, local tacticians should use the chance to identify good home-based players to be considered for call-up in the national team for subsequent international assignments.

The event is also an opportunity for Kenya to improve her ranking continentally, especially after losing ground to regional teams.

Over the years, the selection of players to the national team has been left in the hands of the national coach. Naturally, when such a daunting task is bestowed upon an individual, chances of being biased towards other clubs is inevitable and it is only fair if a panel of competent selectors picks the national team players.

It is good news that the squad of local players to represent the country in CHAN tournament is likely to be done by a panel of local coaches after the Kenyan Premier League and Football Kenya Limited agreed to do so. This will not only give the team a national outlook, but it will also make the selection exercise fair. It is unfortunate that the move is coming rather late in the day.

As coaches meet for this important exercise, they should put the interest of the national team first. They should not fight to have players from their teams in the national outfit, but they should pick players on merit irrespective of the clubs they come from.