The president of Football Kenya Federation, Hussein Mohammed, has expressed his support the rescheduling of the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN).
The tournament, originally slated for February, will now take place in August. The eighth edition of the continental championship featuring national teams consisting of players currently playing in their respective local leagues will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
“I think August will be a wonderful, wonderful football festival, not only for Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, but for the entire African continent,” Hussein stated.
Hussein also promised an even better football extravaganza highlighting the role the delay will play in ensuring better strategies have been put in place.
“We now have ample time, so there’s no need to rush. We are going to organize an even better event, and it’s very exciting for the region, especially for Kenya,” he added.
Hussein, the current CEO of Extreme Sports Limited, emphasized the historical importance of the event, noting that Kenya has not hosted a football tournament of this magnitude previously.
“This time, we want to show the rest of the world that East Africa can put on an extravaganza. We can compete with anyone in the world and host one of the best events ever seen,” he added.
“We will start by hosting CHAN in August, and after that, we’ll prepare ourselves for AFCON 2027,” Hussein pointed out highlighting the region’s future ambitions.
Kenya plans to utilize the Nyayo Stadium, which has been approved by the Confederation of African Football and is undergoing final adjustments, along with the Moi Sports Center, Kasarani Stadium, which is still under renovation.
The former Vice Chairman of Murang’a Seal Football Club assured fans that preparations are on track and also recognized the efforts being put by the local organizing committee.
The federation also aims to leverage the additional time to strengthen the national team, Harambee Stars.
Currently led by interim coach Francis Kimanzi, the team recently participated in the Mapinduzi Cup, in Zanzibar where they finished third in the group stage. Stars drew 1-1 with Burkina Faso, secured a 2-0 win against Tanzania, and lost 1-0 to Zanzibar, narrowly missing out on the final.
“I think for us, it’s good enough that we just played in the Mapinduzi Cup the other day as a national team. This gives us time to put our technical bench in order and prepare our national team,” Hussein remarked.
The president reiterated Harambee Stars will not only participate but will put a good show and try impress the fans with excellent results.
“This additional time will allow us to sort out our technical bench, finalize our national coach, and align our youth teams to the calendar. The future looks great for Kenyan football,” he said.
Kenya has been drawn in pool ‘A’ against Morocco, DRC, Angola and Zambia in what is termed as the ‘death group’. The draw was conducted on 15 January at the KICC.
“We are determined to leave no stone unturned, cover all our bases, and ensure everything is in place. We’ll put all our ducks in a row and make sure we don’t falter,” he concluded.
