Harambee Stars coach highlights significance of Mapinduzi Cup in preparation for 2024 CHAN finals

Harambee Stars acting head coach Francis Kimanzi says his long-term focus is on preparing a strong squad for the African Nations Championship (CHAN), even as the side gets ready for the upcoming Mapinduzi Cup early next year.

Kimanzi, who was appointed by the Football Kenya Federation last week to step in as the interim national team head coach, led an extended 37-man provisional squad for the first training session on Saturday 18 December at Mpesa Foundation Academy.

The session, which involved tactical drills and player evaluation, marked the beginning of a crucial phase for the team composed of purely local-based players, and one that culminates in their participation at the home CHAN tournament in February.

Speaking to the press, Kimanzi noted that working with a large squad meant opening up windows for everyone to prove their worth.

He said: “Today was our first session with quite a large squad. The goal is to test all the players, and we managed to do that while introducing some tactics.

“At the end of the day, everyone will get a chance to show what they can do as we start building the team.”

With the Mapinduzi Cup - scheduled for 3-13 January in Zanzibar - coming just weeks before CHAN, Kimanzi also hinted that the majority of the members in the current squad would be selected for the latter championships.

“While the focus is on Mapinduzi Cup, the bigger one is on bringing together this group so that we can start checking and monitoring who will be well prepared for CHAN,” Kimanzi said.

Defender Charles Momanyi on the other hand stated that the players were greatly motivated to get into the final squad saying: “We had a great first training session. With such a large squad, everyone is eager to prove themselves.

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“The Mapinduzi Cup is crucial in our preparation for CHAN, making this tournament very important for us.”

In Zanzibar, Harambee Stars are set to duel out with teams including: Zanzibar Heroes, Uganda, Kilimanjaro Stars, Burundi, and Burkina Faso.