The Kenyan soccer team, Harambee Stars, is earnestly preparing for their World Cup qualifying matches. They will play Burundi on June 3, 2024, as part of the FIFA World Cup, Qualification CAF, Group F match. Later on, they will play Cote d’Ivoire on June 11, 2024. Both Games will be played at Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi.
Since Kenya does not have stadiums that meet FIFA standards, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) had to find a venue to hold the World Cup qualifier matches. During their second day of residential training, Coach Engin Farat said the players were familiar with the facilities in the venue and the warm welcome from the Malawians.
Although the team will miss home support, Farat is optimistic about Malawi. “We know the stadium and training field, plus the people there were kind to us. They hosted us very well.” Coach Farat. He continued to lament how sports infrastructure has been neglected for more than 50 years and how shameful it is for the country to host its matches in Malawi.
Coach Firat Siro
“We don’t have good fields for training; we don’t even have one international field for training.”
He continued to lament, “Afcon is coming up, but this problem stays here. It’s not a problem for today or tomorrow. We have to build something for the future of the country.”
On March 26, 2024, Kenya won a friendly tournament at the same venue by beating Malawi 4-0 and Zimbabwe 3-1 in the final.
Coach Engin Farat will jet out with 25 players and expects foreign-based players to join them in Malawi. They will leave the country on June 2. Five players might lose the games due to injuries and passport issues. The foreign-based players include defender Daniel Anyembe, midfielder Richard Odada, striker Michal Olunga, Eric Ouma, and Joseph Okumu.
The coach added that he would not take risks but assess players, especially those with injuries like Joseph Okumu, before setting the squad to tackle Burundi. “I can only say we will do our best. We will be prepared; I believe sometimes you need luck…” he added.
The team looks forward to coming home with good scores, but playing a home game in a foreign country is a big disadvantage.
Currently, Kenya is number three with three points, while Burundi ranks fourth in the Group with three points. Cote d’Ivoire and Gabon are in positions one and two, respectively, while Gambia and Seychelles rank fifth and sixth in the Group.
