Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has expressed confidence that Kenya will be ready to host the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) in February this year.
This comes as the Kenyan stadiums intended to host the championships remain under renovation with less than two months to go.
“This level of commitment and passion to ensure the stadiums, infrastructure, facilities, and training pitches are ready by February gives me all the confidence in the world that the preparations for the CHAN and AFCON in 2027 will be equally successful,” he said during a tour of Nyayo Stadium.
He was accompanied by former Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who assured the delegation that preparations would be completed in time for the tournament.
Sports CS Kipchumba Murkomen inspecting the Kasarani Stadium. PHOTO/ Kipchumba Murkomen.
“As you have seen for yourself, from Kasarani to the training pitches and here at Nyayo, we are doing everything possible, burning the midnight oil, to ensure we are ready to host CHAN in February as designated by CAF,” Murkomen stated.
The remarks were echoed by FKF President Hussein Mohammed, who emphasised the importance of hosting a memorable tournament that will serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2027 AFCON.
“We are going to be ready for this event. We are going to put on one of the best shows that the continent has ever seen. This will be a critical launch pad for us towards AFCON 2027, and we will make all of you proud,” he stated.
In an interview on 10 December, Murkomen admitted to challenges in meeting the renovation deadline and subtly blamed his predecessor, Ababu Namwamba.
“I think that was a mistake if you look at it in hindsight. Because even Uganda and Tanzania, who had CAF-qualified stadiums, only offered one stadium each. For us, we were extremely ambitious, considering that even before then, we didn’t have any stadiums that qualified to host the matches,” Murkomen said.
This followed unconfirmed reports that Kenya had lost its hosting rights to Rwanda, as the federation reportedly doubted whether the two stadiums would be ready by February.
“We are hosting CHAN from 1 February to 28 February 2025,” Murkomen stated during an interview with NTV, dismissing the reports.
Stock image showing a footballer about to kick a ball
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