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Afcon-bound Rising Stars jet back home, call for exposure

Kenya Under 20 players pose for a photo after their arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on October 21, 2022 from Tanzania where they took part in the  Cecafa U20 regional qualifiers.

Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group

By  Victor Otieno

Reporter

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

  • Evans Achoki, the Secretary of Administration for Sports in the Ministry of Sports, congratulated the team for giving a good account in the tournament.  
  • He said Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen will on Tuesday morning host the team for breakfast at Talanta Plaza. 

Kenya Under-20 football team’s coach Salim Babu is confident that  the side will achieve remarkable success in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) U20, provided they receive high-level training and exposure.

Babu reckoned that it would be invaluable if the Rising Stars pitch camp in a country with a higher football standard than Kenya ahead of the tournament. 

The Confederation of African Football is expected to name the hosts of the continental age-group tournament during its ongoing General Assembly in Addis Ababa.

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“If we can prepare in Europe or West Africa, I mean countries that are above Kenya in football then I think we will do something that Kenyans have never seen,” asserted the Kenya Police coach. 

Kenya U-20 team jets back after sealing 2025 Afcon slot

The soft-spoken coach was addressing the press on Monday after the team arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi from Dar es Salaam. 

Kenya finished second in the Cecafa U20 regional qualifiers to punch a ticket to the upcoming continental championships alongside winners Tanzania. Tanzania defeated Kenya 2-1 in a tough final held at the Kinondoni Municipal Council.

At JKIA, the Kenyan contingent received a heroic welcome from dancers, their families, and officials from the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and Ministry of Sports. It is the first time that Kenya has qualified for the Afcon U20, which will also double up as the qualifiers for the 2025 Fifa U20 World Cup in Chile.

The continental showpiece will also feature teams from Caf’s Central Zone, South Zone, West “A” Zone, West “B” Zone, and North Zone.

Babu noted that the Rising Stars are rich in talent and will compete formidably next year.

“If we are given adequate time to prepare, we will perform well because if you look, we only prepared for a short while (for the Cecafa U20 regional qualifiers) but we played very well,” said the coach. 

He said they lost in the final due to fatigue. Kenya defeated Tanzania by a similar margin in the group stages. 

Evans Achoki, the Secretary of Administration for Sports in the Ministry of Sports, congratulated the team for giving a good account in the tournament.  

He said Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen will on Tuesday morning host the team for breakfast at Talanta Plaza. 

In the headlines