Football
Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohamed says he targets quality
football investment in youth structures in order to uplift the standards of the
game locally.
This
comes after Kenya failed to go past the preliminaries at the ongoing African
Cup of Nations Under-20 tournament in Cairo, Egypt, while the girls’ U-17 side
crashed out of the World Cup qualifiers to Cameroon in the final stage on April
25.
The
new local football chief, who was in Cairo, Egypt with the Rising Stars, urged
Kenyans to be patient as they follow the right modules and structures to push
the youthful sides to the level of continental powerhouses.
“Investment
in football is one of the key lessons we’re taking from this tournament,” he
said.
“With
proper planning, we believe we can eventually reach the level of the top
teams.”
Despite
their early exit, Hussein praised the Rising Stars in their debut at the U-20
AFCON tournament and congratulated them for flying the Kenyan flag high.
Salim
Babu’s charges suffered a 3-2 loss to Morocco, fell 3-1 to Tunisia, and
concluded their matches with a 2-2 draw with seven-time champions Nigeria in
their final clash to finish bottom in Group B.
“Morocco,
for example, has nearly 20 players competing professionally; that’s the level
we’re aiming for.
“We
hope some of our boys will secure good club opportunities after this exposure
in the continental showpiece,” added Hussein.
Some
of the players are now eyeing spots in the senior CECAFA and CHAN squads, with
Kenya set to host both tournaments on June 1–21 and in August, respectively.
Man
of the match against Nigeria, Kevin Wangaya, Hassan Beja, Lawrence Okoth,
captain Amos Wanjala, and goalkeeper Bernard Jairo were among the players who
stood out in the Stars’ outing.
Hussein’s remarks come weeks after his deputy, McDonald Mariga, hinted at opening technical centres locally to ensure young players can camp in conducive environments to improve their skills and technical knowledge of the game.
“During
my playing days, I saw a lot of technical centres in different countries.
Countries like Egypt, Morocco, Qatar, Dubai, and others made these technical
centres early, and it is our time to make ours—to ensure our players are comfortable
in camp,” said Mariga.
Rising
Stars are expected to land in the country from Cairo on Saturday, May 10, 2025,
at 1:30 a.m.
