Harambee
Stars start their journey to end a 13-year absence from African Nations Cup
(Afcon) with an away match against Sierra Leone on Saturday, hoping to banish past
painful memories of disastrous campaigns.
The group
also includes continental powerhouse Black Stars of Ghana and Walia Antelopes
of Ethiopia.
It is a
tough battle to top the group and guarantee our slot in the 2019 Afcon in
Cameroon.
Failure to
finish top leaves us with the ‘easier’ task of finishing as one of the three
best runners-up from the 12 groups. Either way, it is an uphill task!
Victor
Mugubi, fresh from a successful maiden season with English giants Tottenham
Hotspurs, leads Stanley Okumbi’s charges.
Kenya is
playing catch-up to The Cranes of Uganda in the regional battle for supremacy,
further increasing the pressure of East Africa’s former giants to grace
Africa’s ultimate football bonanza since the last outing in Tunisia in 2004.
While Stars
have failed in their last seven attempts to qualify for Afcon, The Cranes ended
their 38-year absence when they played at the 2017 edition held in Gabon.
In the road
to Russia 2018, Uganda currently trails group E leaders, Egypt by two points.
It fancies its chances of making history by becoming the first East African
nation to play at the World Cup.
Kenya lost
out in the preliminaries last year, making France 1998 the only time we came
close to qualification, before Nigeria’s Super Eagles edged us.
The road to
Cameroon 2019 has heavy stakes for Kenya, once the region’s conquerors in the
beautiful game.
It marks the
start of a journey, rich in imagination of playing at the 2022 World Cup in
Qatar. It is also a chance for Kenya to join Africa’s big boys and probably
rekindle the good old days in 1980s and 1990s when Harambee Stars were a
continental force.
Uganda has
since taken over the mantle.
This will be
the first full campaign for Stars under the new Nick Mwendwa-led Football Kenya
Federation.
The new office promised to lead the country to the 2022 World Cup
in Qatar. The test starts on Saturday!
Failure to be
part of the Africa’s top 16 nations in Cameroon 2019 will only leave Kenya once
again dreaming to be part of the continent’s best five countries to Qatar in
2022!
A win
tomorrow will get Kenya off to a perfect start on the road to Cameroon.
Defeat will however,
re-ignite the old fear known to every Kenyan football lover; Harambee Stars
always fall short when it matters most!
