Continental tournament also moved to June from February
Football
By
Gilbert Wandera
| Jul 22, 2017
Kenya started the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on the wrong footing after losing 2-1 to Sierra Leone, but the country now has a realistic chance of playing in the competition following an increase in the number of qualifying teams to 24.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Thursday after its general assembly that the number of teams playing in the tournament will be increased from 16 to 24 starting with the 2019 edition to be held in Cameroon.
This is the first time since 1996 that the tournament is being expanded. Prior to 1996, it featured just eight teams.
Kenya are in group ‘F’ together with Ghana, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone. A loss to Sierra Leone in the first match had almost dimmed Kenya’s chances of qualifying for the 2019 edition.
Under the old qualification rules, only the group winners were to qualify automatically alongside the three best runners-up. But following the expansion, it means teams that finish second in the 12 groups have a high chance of qualifying, giving Kenya a realistic chance.
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Kenya last played in the tournament in 2004 under Jacob Mulee, who expressed his delight with the latest development.
“This is certainly good news for Kenya. It has been a long time since we qualified. However, even with that we still need to put our act together. The team has started showing signs of good progress in the friendly matches they have played and it was unfortunate that they lost to Sierra Leone,” he said.
Mulee suggests that perhaps CAF should have given each region a quota while making the expansion. “If they wanted equal representation, then the best way would have been to introduce a quota otherwise there is still a danger of West African teams dominating the tournament as they have done in the past”.
Apart from expanding the tournament, CAF also announced that the competition will now be played in June and July, moving from its traditional months of January and February.
This means that more Africans playing in European leagues will now be able to honour national duties, and European clubs will also sign more African players.
CAF, however, rejected a proposal to hold the tournament outside Africa and also resolved that it will be held every two years and not four years as had been suggested.
Another significant proposal passed by CAF is to play its inter-club competitions from August to May and not February to December.
It now means the KPL will have to change its calendar.