Kenya is co-hosting the biennial competition reserved for players who play for clubs in their respective leagues, alongside East African neighbours Uganda and Tanzania.
Harambee Stars, who are drawn into Group A - arguably the 'Group of Death' - will face heavyweights DR Congo, Morocco, Zambia, and Angola in what promises to be a demanding campaign.
Kenya, under coach Benni McCarthy, has been training at Kasarani Annex, a venue adjacent to Kasarani Stadium, ahead of the tournament set to run from August 2nd to 30th. Kenya will be making its debut in the CHAN, courtesy of its role as one of three co-hosts of the tournament, alongside East African neighbours Uganda and Tanzania.
Kenya psyched up and ready for CHAN
According to the 25-year-old Odhiambo, who formerly turned out for Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier side AFC Leopards, and has been part of the Kenya U20, and U23 sides, by virtue of Kenya hosting the final, Harambee Stars have set their target of playing in front of their fans and winning it.
“We have been waiting for this tournament for a very long time, and I think the boys are psyched up, and ready for the tournament,” Odhiambo told Flashscore.
“It is a privilege to represent the national team and again it comes with a lot of pressure, because we have the tournament on our home soil, Kenya, so we have to represent the country good enough, and no excuses for playing badly.”
On how Harambee Stars players will manage the pressure of playing at the biggest stage, Odhiambo said: “We will try the best that we can to make our fans happy, because by doing so, the pressure will come down. With the home crowd behind us, it is a very good opportunity for us, we need to use the crowd's support against our opponents and go for positive results.”
On whether Kenya will be going for the CHAN title, Odhiambo, who features for record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia, responded: “Of course, yes, (we want to win the title).
“We are hosting the tournament, and we must have the aim of winning it. As players, we must have that winning mentality, we must aim to be champions every time we play in a tournament, so in my opinion, we have the character to play well and win the trophy.”
Odhiambo added: “It is going to be a team effort, you can’t do it alone, it is a team effort and we all have to think the same, the whole team you have to think the same, so I believe we all have the mentality going into the tournament and we will make Kenyans proud.”
Odhiambo’s sentiments were echoed by defender and teammate at club level Alphonce Omija, who ruled out the team being under pressure heading into the tournament.
“There is no pressure, we don’t have any pressure, it is only football being played on the pitch, and even if we have pressure, then we know how to cool it down, so it is nothing to worry about,” said Omija.
On whether Kenya will play in the final, Omija said: “That is our target, every team comes with a target of playing in the final, but we are ready for every game, we want to attack it a game at a time.”
With just weeks to go before the curtain-raiser against DR Congo at Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium, McCarthy has made changes to his provisional squad of 30 players by axing five. Those dropped include Tusker goalkeeper Brian Opondo, AFC Leopards’ Kelly Madada, Shabana FC’s Keith Imbali, and Ulinzi Stars duo Yakeen Muteheli and Staphod Odhiambo.
The South African legend further beefed up the squad with the arrivals of Kenya Police FC’s midfield anchor Marvin Nabwire and goalkeeper Bryne Omondi, who is currently unattached after leaving Bandari FC at the end of last season.
McCarthy will also have to do without two key strikers Moses Shumah and Emmanuel Osoro. Initially named in the provisional squad, the two players formerly of Kakamega Homeboyz and FC Talanta, are now ineligible to represent Kenya after they completed transfer moves to Zambian Super League champions Power Dynamos on permanent two-year contracts.
Shumah finished last season as FKF Premier League’s top scorer with 17 goals, while Osoro finished second with 16 goals and provided seven assists.
Kenya to fine-tune for CHAN in Four Nations tournament
Ahead of the CHAN tournament, coach McCarthy will get the opportunity to gauge the preparedness of his squad when Harambee Stars takes part in a CECAFA Four-Nations Tournament slated for July 21-27th in Karatu Stadium in the Arusha region, Tanzania.
Congo Brazzaville were lined up to feature in the tournament but they pulled out and have now been replaced by Senegal. Apart from Sudan who are still completing their League, all the CECAFA teams that will play in the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) will play in the CECAFA Four-Nations Tournament.
Confirming the replacement of Congo, Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Competitions Director Yusuf Mossi said: “It is unfortunate Congo Brazzaville withdrew because of some logistical challenges, but having Senegal come in take part will give our teams Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania a real test of a team from another zone.”
Kenya coach McCarthy expressed delight at getting a chance to test his players ahead of the CHAN tournament. “It will really be a good opportunity to see the players in a real competitive set-up,” said McCarthy as quoted by CAFOnline.
“This is also a chance for us to evaluate the systems we’ve worked on and observe how the players respond under match pressure. It’s crucial for building momentum ahead of our opening game against DR Congo.”
The tournament will be played on a round robin basis with each team playing three matches. Harambee Stars of Kenya will open their campaign against Uganda on July 21st, while hosts Tanzania take on Senegal the next day.
Matchday Three on July 24th will see Senegal face Uganda, while Tanzania battle Kenya. The last day on July 27th will see Kenya play against Senegal, while Uganda will come up against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania.
