This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
Kenya's Under-15 football team, known as the Junior Stars, is due to leave the country early Tuesday morning for Eritrea, where they will compete in the Council for East and Central Africa (Cecafa) Under-15 Championship.
The team, which is in Group 'A' alongside Somalia, hosts Eritrea, and Burundi, will begin their campaign on Friday against Somalia. The top three teams from Group 'A' and 'B' will join the top two from Group 'C' in the quarter-finals slated for August 27 and 28, with the final to be played on September 1.
According to the team's head coach, Sagar Lakhani, the tournament provides a good platform for the team to test themselves against opponents from the region. 'We have played several friendly matches with teams at different levels and we feel confident that we have a good team. We are fit and excited to compete in Eritrea, and we are going to give it our best shot,' Lakhani said.
Team captain James Gachago is optimistic of good performance in Eritrea, stating that the team has learnt a lot in camp and is very confident heading into the tournament. 'This is our first major tournament as a team, and it is important that we learn and correct our mistakes. This is putting us on the path to qualification for the World Cup and other big tournaments and I hope we win,' Gachago said.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has made its Centre of Excellence in Thome, Nairobi, the permanent base for the team, where the players are put on a homeschooling programme with the long-term target of creating a team that can qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
