K. TeyaShikanda: Harambee Stars are headed in the right direction
Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 11.09.23. | 10:29
Kenya are in group F alongside next year’s AFCON hosts Ivory Coast, Burundi, Seychelles, Gambia, and Gabon. The group winner qualifies for the 2026 World Cup in the US/Mexico/Canada.
AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda believes Harambee Stars’ win over Qatar is an indicator that the national team is headed in the right direction but advises that the building process has to continue intelligently.
The Stars managed to beat the 2022 World Cup hosts 2-1 in a friendly match staged at Al-Wakrah last Thursday. Maiden Stars goals from Joseph Okumu and Amos Nondi helped the Stars in a friendly match that was well attended by Kenyans living in the Asian nation.
The Kenya team flew back to Nairobi on Friday and immediately commenced preparations for tomorrow’s game against South Sudan at the Moi Kasarani Stadium. All the games are geared towards getting the team ready for the World Cup qualifiers that commence in November. Kenya are in group F alongside next year’s AFCON hosts Ivory Coast, Burundi, Seychelles, Gambia, and Gabon. The group winner qualifies for the 2026 World Cup in the US/Mexico/Canada.
Shikanda now believes that the team is headed in the right direction after the triumph over Qatar. The former Kenyan international says he was impressed by the team’s overall performance in Qatar.
"It is a big win for the team, and it gives the country a lot of confidence. I strongly believe that this is a step in the right direction for our national team," he opined in an interview with Citizen.
"Qatar were in the World Cup, and performing well against them is a big positive. I was happy watching the game because the players enjoyed it, kept the ball well, and won the ball back when they lost strongly. It was a match that we were on top of things from start to finish," he added.
The football administrator, however, warned that Kenya has to build on the gains made in Qatar in order to have a great team for future assignments.
"We have to keep improving. Building a team is a continuous process. We need to continue making the team better intelligently, and I believe that we have a chance of having a strong national team going forward".
The Tuesday match at Kasarani will start at 4 p.m.Tickets will be sold at KES 200 for regular tickets and KES 500 for VIP ones.
