NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 29 – Harambee Stars head coach Francis Kimanzi has his eyes set on next year’s Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), as he assembled a team to prepare for the invitational Mapinduzi Cup in Zanzibar, scheduled for January 3-13.
The Mapinduzi Cup, originally schemed to involve clubs, has been tweaked this time round to give Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania an opportunity to prepare for next year’s CHAN which they will co-host.
Uganda is still playing in the qualifiers, having beaten Burundi 1-0 in the final round of qualification and the second leg is scheduled for Sunday evening. Both Tanzania and Kenya were eliminated early.
Kimanzi, recently appointed on an interim basis has assembled a large squad of players to start preparation for the Mapinduzi Cup, and they had their first session on Saturday.
“We have involved a huge team because this is still the beginning of testing all the players and we had some moments to get the tests done and introduction of some tactics on the pitch to help us do selection,” Kimanzi said after the first training session.
The coach adds; “We have big number and we are looking at what is ahead of us, that is CHAN and we have to build a team. For now, the target and focus is Mapinduzi Cup but the bigger picture is CHAN.”
Kimanzi believes the Mapinduzi Cup will give him and the technical team a good opportunity to see who is ready for the final CHAN team, but will also keep the larger squad on toes.
Defender Charles Momanyi, speaking after the first session says all players are focused on the bigger task, which is CHAN.
“We know that is the bigger task ahead of us but we must also prepare well for the Mapinduzi Cup because it will guide who is selected. Everyone is pushing inside the pitch and we are giving our best,” he noted.
