In Caxias do Sul, Brazil

Kenya national women’s deaf football team coach Ben Bella has pleaded with the government to extend more support for the team in spite of its poor performance here at the delayed 2021 Summer Deaflympic Games.

The team was bundled out of the global championships on Monday following their 13-0 humiliation by USA at Estadio Estrela Soccer Field.

“The government has really supported in gracing this championship. They should not lose hope in us but rather continue supporting us because. We have earned experience and with time, we can build this team,” said coach Bella.

The national men’s deaf basketball team is the other Kenyan side that has since been eliminated from the global competition that will come to an end this Friday.

Inadequate preparation seems to have affected Kenya’s competitiveness in the championship which Kenya is attending for the first time. Things were made worse when they were drawn in a tough pool, whose other members included favourites Japan, Brazil and Poland.

The team had a rude welcome to the Games when Japan hammered them 12 -0.

Kenya improved in their next two matches but still lost 8-1 and 8-0 to Brazil and Poland respectively, but they team collapsed against the US, losing 13-0.

In the match, Kenya failed to curve out a single chance and it was evident that they were not in shape owing to how they easily the players picked injury, causing several stoppages in the match.

The team earned a direct ticket to the Games after their would-be opponents, Ghana and Zanzibar failed to show up for the African qualifiers held last November in Nairobi.

In preparation for the competition, the Deaf Football Federation of Kenya held national trials to select the team at Bukhungu, Kakamega in March.

The players then entered residential camp for a four-week training at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi from April 1.

Coach Bella said the team will only be able to compete competitively if the players start early preparations.

He also called for more international matches for the girls and the establishment of a local league for them.

“We do not need to just react when a competition is approaching. What happens is that we start preparations a month or weeks before a competition and that does not augur well," said coach Bella.

“What the countries we have been facing do is that they start the project (preparations) at a very early age unlike us where most of our players started playing when they were adults. We should start nurturing the talents from infancy.”

The national men’s Deaf basketball also failed to taste a victory in their pool B that also comprised powerhouses US, Israel, Argentina and Poland.

The coach Jeff Mwaniki’s side were whitewashed 143-18 by US in their opening match of the competition, before Argentina compounded their woes with a 91-37 victory. Israel and Poland thumped them 85 -30 and 118-14 respectively.

The results meant that the coach Maniki's side, will wait longer to taste a match win at the Deaflympics.

They did not win any matches at the 2013 and 2017 Deaflympics held in Bulgaria and Turkey respectively.

"For us to compete against the best in the world we ought to train, prepare and expose our deaf athletes in Kenya like the best in the world. The experience and exposure my team and I have gained is just superbly rich and we will put it into work," said coach Mwaniki, who formerly played for Ulinzi Warriors.

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