Firat’s focus clear for Mauritius tour

Kenya’s Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has hinted that he will select as many young players as possible with his mind clearly on the future.

Kenya are scheduled to play in the Four Nations Tournament in Mauritius from June 11 to 18. Other teams participating are hosts Mauritius, Djibouti and Pakistan.

“We have a lot of young new players who will get a chance to play in these matches. Kenya has a high talent but it should be developed and harnessed,” said Firat on Thursday.

“We have more than 20 players in the team who are below 23 years old and we are very hopeful they will be useful to us in the future. If we organise everything together we can participate in Afcon 2027 and even in the World Cup,” added the Turkish tactician at Nyayo National Stadium.

Firat said his focus was to ensure his players learnt a lot.

The Turk is expected to name the travelling squad on Friday. The team departs for the Indian Ocean island nation Saturday evening.

Last Monday, Firat named a 32-man provisional squad. Missing from that selection was Kenya Police striker Elvis Rupia and midfielder Duke Abuya who played in the friendly match against Iran on March 28.

“Rupia and Duke are good players but I have to give chances to others also as I build a good squad for the future. Brian Mandela, Masoud Juma are also still nursing injuries. Giving chances to new players will ensure we identify talent and not only depend on experienced players,” added Firat, 52.

All the 30 players in the provisional squad hit camp by Tuesday with the exception of Daniel Anyembe (Viborge, Denmark), Kenneth Muguna (Azam) and Collins Shichenje (KUPS) who will link up with the team in Mauritius.

Meanwhile, Sports CS Ababu Namwamba has announced a Sh24million government funding for Harambee Stars and Rising Starlets.

Rising Starlets enter camp on Friday for the upcoming East and Central Africa (Cecafa) regional youth  tournament.

“My coming here shows the government supports the federation and loves our national team. The Sh24 million will go toward clearing allowances and preparations for both Harambee Stars and Harambee Starlets Under 18. Through proper planning our national teams will do well,” said Namwamba.

FKF P resident Nick Mwendwa said, “I thank the minister for coming and the promises he has made today. We have given the coach the free hand and space to be with his team. As a federation we are arranging for another friendly match in Europe or Middle East and plan to host another friendly in November.”