This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
Harambee Stars head coach Francis Kimanzi will be making a return to the touchline today at 1:30pm in Kampala, Uganda, when the national team tackles Eritrea in the first semifinal of the 2019 Cecafa Senior Challenge, after serving a two-match suspension.
Despite Kimanzi's absence in the dugout, Stars, under the tutelage of his assistant Zedekiah Zico Otieno, managed to overcome Sudan (2-1) and Zanzibar Heroes (1-0) to finish top of Group B with nine points.
“There is nothing to be excited when you are in such a tournament. What is important is that the players will be happier to be in the semifinals more than me to be back,” said Kimanzi.
With the team being just two steps away from defending the trophy they won in Machakos in 2017, Kimanzi has challenged the local-based players to prove themselves in the tournament ahead of next year's 2021 Africa Nations Cup qualifiers.
“It is important when you have a local tournament and you have players that you have been thinking about knowing you have a bigger mission trying to see if you can create some competitiveness when it comes to the AFCON qualifiers in some positions,” he said.
