All the best to the Stars
What you need to know:
- Harambee Stars’ unending poor preparations are a major cause of worry.
Kenya face Zambia in their second 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Nairobi on Sunday.
The Harambee Stars started their Group E campaign with a 1-1 draw against Congo in Brazzaville. The group also has Guinea Bissau.
Harambee Stars’ unending poor preparations are a major cause of worry, considering that their opponents, Zambia, are the 2012 Africa champions.
The Stars only started training on Tuesday.
Differences between Football Kenya Federation and Kenya Premier League have badly affected the preparations. Late arrivals by local and foreign-based players compounded these problems.
On the contrary, their opponents have been in camp for two months. Tanzania, who face Nigeria in Dar es Salaam this weekend, held a training camp in Turkey.
Kenyan fans have been blamed for not supporting the national team, but that has been largely due to the team’s string of poor performances.
The Stars were easily knocked out of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and African Games qualifiers early this year. It is more than a decade since Harambee Stars last qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Perhaps the performance of Team Kenya from the recent World Championships in Athletics in Beijing should inspire Harambee Stars to win Saturday’s match.
