Harambee Stars welcomed with pomp and colour in Doha ahead of 'challenging' Qatar clash [VIDEO]

FOOTBALL Harambee Stars welcomed with pomp and colour in Doha ahead of 'challenging' Qatar clash [VIDEO]

Mark Kinyanjui 12:13 - 06.09.2023

Kenya landed in Doha safely, and will now commence their preparations before facing the reigning Asian champions on Thursday.

Harambee Stars on Wednesday morning landed in Doha ahead of their friendly match against Qatar scheduled to take place on Thursday.

Kenya traveled to Qatar at around 1:25 AM, before landing in Doha at around 8:00 AM, where they will take part in a training session, before playing the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts.

On arrival at the airport, they were given a warm welcome by fellow Kenyans based in Qatar, who sang songs of praises in support of the national team.

Following the Qatar game, the team will return to Kenya on Friday, September 8 to continue their preparations for the match against South Sudan scheduled to take place at the Nyayo National Stadium on Tuesday, September 12.

Head coach Engin Firat said in a press conference on Monday that the friendly match would be important in helping put Kenya on the football map as ‘it is not really known around the world.”

“This kind of games are so important for the country's football, forget the national team because the reality is that Kenyan football is not really known around the world,” he said.

“This is a big opportunity to show who we are, this means not only to the national team but also the club football in Qatar. If we give a good show together with the impression that Olunga has shown in Qatar, it can open a lot of doors for our players.”

“Qatar is a very strong side, it is just that during the World Cup, they did not show the performance they have shown all that time before,” Firat suggested.

“They had a good run before the World Cup, they are the Asian champions and have a good home record.

“They have all players who featured at the World Cup and that means we have a very challenging game, the likes of Akram Afif, and Almoez Alli are very exciting and technical players.”