Harambee Stars and Gor Mahia midfielder Francis Kahata has claimed that Kenya can pull off a surprise in Egypt during the June-July Afcon finals.
Kahata was a regular player when Kenya played Ghana, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia in the Group F qualification campaign. He has stated that no one should rule out the Harambee Stars when the continental competition begins.
“It has been a journey filled with challenges but with the dedication that we showed as a team we finally made it through. We are thankful to God for this far that we have made since the qualifying journey began and ended successfully,” Kahata told the Football Kenya Federation website.
Sebastien Migne’s team managed to finish second in the group just behind Ghana’s Black Stars and Kahata affirms that even the opponents that included the Wallias of Ethiopia and the Leone Stars were tough.
He hopes his teammates employ the same spirit of hard work when they will face star-studded Algeria and Senegal in Group C in Cairo.
“In the qualifying matches we faced big teams and in the Afcon group, we are also going to face big teams. We will give the same effort and dedication that we showed in the qualification journey and I am hopeful that we can surprise anyone in Egypt,” explained the former Thika United midfielder.
“We also thank Kenyans for the effort they put in when they supported us as we took part in the Afcon qualifiers and we hope they will continue doing so. It has been a long time since we took part in the Afcon and since we have finally made it, it will help young players to expose their talent to the world on a bigger stage.”
Kahata was named in the squad of 30 players in the provisional team that will train in France for three weeks before the biennial competition kicks-off in Egypt.
Be the first to comment