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Here are the five things we learnt from the just-concluded CECAFA u18 tournament
On Friday afternoon, the Kenya U18 side Junior Stars had to endure heartbreak as they squandered a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to their Ugandan counterparts at Kisumu’s Jomo Kenyatta Stadium, leaving the large Kenyan crowd that had attended the match shell-shocked.
Uganda managed to lift the trophy, continuing to assert their recent dominance as kings of the CECAFA region youth football.
Kenya will live to fight another day, but there were a lot of things learned about the tournament. Here are the five biggest ones.
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10:38 - 09.12.2023
FKFPL Musa Otieno praises Junior Stars, emphasises why youth development will help grow Kenyan football
Kenyan legend Musa Otieno has heaped praise on the Kenya U18 team while insisting why the country must invest more in nurturing youth
Kisumu & Kakamega love football
The fans turned up in large numbers both at the Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega and the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu to witness the Junior Stars take on their opponents during the tournament.
Kenya played against Sudan in their opening encounter, beating them 5-1 in Kisumu, and there was just a handful of fans who attended it. However, by the time they were playing the final against Uganda, the stadium was already sold out by 11 AM and many fans had to watch the game while standing.
As expected, fans did not watch encounters between other countries as much as they did their own national team, which is proof that Kenyans really do love football, despite the fallacy that they do not.
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16:05 - 09.12.2023
FOOTBALL Millions Botswana players will be rewarded for beating Harambee Starlets to qualify for WAFCON 2024
The Botswana women’s national team are set for a big payday after beating Harambee Starlets to qualify for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
What is amazing is that the group stage games were absolutely free of charge, but the semi-final and final clashes required fans to pay Ksh100 shillings for tickets to access the stadium, yet they still did.
This should be an eye-opener for the Football Kenya Federation, who must find ways to ensure that football in the country sells to keep fan attendance high.
Kisumu and Kakamega can be used as AFCON and CHAN venues
Given the high number of fans who attended the matches in Kisumu and Kakamega, as well as the fact that the national school games held in August saw fans flock Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega, it will have been an eye-opener for the Sports Ministry to consider hosting some African Nations Championships (CHAN) 2024 games in those regions, as well as the 2027 AFCON.
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08:00 - 09.12.2023
FOOTBALL Victor Wanyama lauds Junior Stars despite loss to Uganda in CECAFA U-18 Boys Championship final
Former Harambee Stars Captain Victor Wanyama praises Junior Stars despite their loss to Uganda in CECAFA U-18 Boys Championship final.
FKF vice president Doris Petra even hinted at the possibility of both towns hosting tournaments in future.
“We want more, we want CHAN to be brought here,” said Petra. “You remember when people talk of AFCON 2027, Kisumu is not in the plan. Now Kisumu is giving people a reason not to be given that tournament. We want to change that narrative.”
“We want better on the final day so that we can celebrate peacefully and get other tournaments. We want to bring both tournaments [CHAN and AFCON] to Kisumu because of the support we have received from the public.”
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12:42 - 09.12.2023
STARS ABROAD Al Duhail coach grapples with striking dilemma as Olunga faces extended absence
Al Duhail faces a striking dilemma with Michael Olunga's injury affecting their attack as fixture congestion looms large.
New heroes emerge
The tournament was a chance for numerous players to stake their claims as heroes of their countries and show what they can do in order to earn senior call-ups in the future and most certainly took their chances.
Players like Aldrine Kibet, Stanley Wilson, Ibrahim Wanzala, Amos Wanjala and Tyrone Kariuki have proven they are ones for the future.
They may not be complete players as they still have work to do to develop their games all round, but all the players who participated in the tournament showed they can be useful prospects in the future.
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12:19 - 09.12.2023
STARS ABROAD Eric Johana’s first 90-minute appearance for Romanian club ends in defeat
Harambee Stars midfielder Eric Johana had a decent individual performance in his first 90-minute game for Romanian side UTA Arad but could not help them avoid defeat to Politehnica
Aldrine Kibet draws rave attention
Aldrine Kibet has become a household name among football circles over the space of three months ever since his heroics for St.Anthony’s Boys at the national school games held in August won him rave views and accolades.
He won a scholarship to Spain’s Nastic Academy, alongside teammates Amos Wanjala and Alvin Kasavuli, and also won the September Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) award.
Before the final, people were so excited to see him that Eldama Ravine MP Musa Sirma ferried 300 youths to the match in honour of their fellow constituent Kibet.
He won the golden boot with three goals and although he did not deliver the ultimate price, there is a lot of excitement for his future.
Bulky Ugandans continue recent CECAFA dominance
Uganda’s physicality ultimately won them the final and the tournament after being a goal down, as they took advantage of Kenya’s tiring bodies and delivered a sucker punch in extra time to inflict heartache on Junior Stars.
Several times, some of Kenya’s players, such as Kariuki got bullied off the ball, showing how dominant they were from that perspective.
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14:37 - 09.12.2023
STARS ABROAD No fans for Joseph Okumu’s Reims this weekend as French authorities ban visiting supporters from Nice clash
Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu will play in front of a hostile crowd this weekend after French authorities banned Reims fans from attending their team’s clash away to Nice.
At the same time, their win showed they are still the dominant youth side in the CEFACA region in recent years. They won the 2022 u=U20 tournament, as well as the 2020 edition.
In 2021, the Uganda U20 side also managed to reach the final of the AFCON U20 tournament, and it is showing that they are starting to have a sustainable system.
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