The Road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) gathers momentum with the final group stage qualifying matches starting this weekend across the continent.
A total of 48 countries will battle in the qualification that will end in March next year, with 24 teams winning a ticket to the 36th edition of the Afcon that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The Confederation of Africa Cup (CAF) have deliberately included Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in the qualifiers that have been divided in 12 Groups of four teams each so as to help them prepare for the event.
Two top placed teams in every group will qualify for Africa’s biggest football bonanza that will be staged for the first time by the three countries, even though Ethiopia and Sudan hosted the event previously.
The national football team, Harambee Stars, are in Group D and will open their quest against Eritrea today. The group also has the 1996 champions South Africa and Guinea.
However, the current events at the Harambee Stars camp do not augur well for the country.
Kenya cannot afford to waste more time with Harambee Stars players boycotting training, complaining about unpaid allowances, and poor remuneration, nutrition and facilities.
The boycotts set a bad precedent when the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Ministry of Sports knew well in advance about the qualification and the importance of the team training under a conducive environment.
It is even more embarrassing that the Harambee Stars coach, Benni McCarthy, has not been given a work permit since taking charge in March last year, something that has seen him leave the country after every campaign.
FKF and the government must resolve some of these issues.
Despite the hiccups, we hope Harambee Stars will take preparations seriously, since good results will lure fans to the stadium come 2027 Afcon.
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