Harambee Stars international Joseph Okumu is in line to become the second Kenyan international to play in the newly launched UEFA Conference League after the defender was included in the Gent squad that is set to clash with Norway’s Valeranga in the tournament’s qualifying stages that take place on Thursday night.Since signing for the Belgian outfit on 20th June, the former IF Elfsborg defender has not made any appearance in the four club friendly matches his new side was using to prepare for the qualifiers. Against the Norwegian opposition though, after being included in the matchday squad, Okumu is expected to get some playing time under his belt.Onze selectie voor de eerste van het seizoen 👀 #gntval pic.twitter.com/tLVjDl6qsr— KAA Gent (@KAAGent) July 21, 2021 Should he feature in the match that will also serve as his European debut, the fast-rising former Chemelil Sugar defender will be the second Kenyan to play in the inaugural third-tier club competition, following suit after former Gor Mahia midfielder Amos Nondi.Nondi could however not proceed to the quarters of the competition as his Dila Gori side suffered a 6-3 aggregate defeat at the hands of Slovakia’s Zilina.Gent booked a place in the Conference League after finishing seventh in last season’s Belgian Pro League.LOADING … 🔜 #GNTVAL 🎟⎢ https://t.co/l0mUhwg4Pr pic.twitter.com/v3czluNW5w— KAA Gent (@KAAGent) July 21, 2021 The UEFA Europa Conference League, colloquially referred to as the UEFA Conference League, will be an annual football club competition that is held by UEFA for eligible European football clubs. The lowest-ranked team in each of these national domestic leagues will switch from the Europa League to the Conference League. No team will qualify automatically for the group stage, and only the five nations from the top leagues would start in the final qualifying round.Harambee Stars centre back Joseph Okumu reveals the toughest challenge he has faced since moving abroad.#JosephOkumu #StarsAbroad pic.twitter.com/EuGPDY7rEB— Mozzart Sport Kenya (@MozzartSportKe) June 24, 2021 `
