Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has criticized the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for requiring host nations of the 2025 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) to participate in the qualifiers.Kenya, along with Uganda and Tanzania, will co-host the eighth edition of the tournament, scheduled from February 1-28 next year.As hosts, the three teams have automatically qualified for the tournament, but they are still required to compete in the qualifiers.##NAJAVA_MECA_8369728##Firat expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision to have the host nations participate in the qualifiers, which are set for the weekends of October 25-27 and November 1-3, 2024.Firat questioned the logic behind CAF’s decision, pointing out that host countries usually don’t participate in qualifiers since they are already guaranteed a spot in the tournament.He expressed confusion over the requirement and stated that he was awaiting official clarification.He also raised concerns about the financial burden this would place on Kenya.Since the country currently lacks an approved stadium for such matches, Kenya would have to play its home qualifiers in another country, increasing costs.##NAJAVA_MECA_8369704##Although Kasarani Stadium is expected to be ready by November after renovations, it won’t be available in time for the qualifiers.”To be honest, I was confused when I read about it. Nowhere in the world do host nations play qualifiers. Why should we when we are already qualified? We are waiting for official communication, but it doesn’t make sense to me,” Firat told SportsBoom.com.He also questioned who would cover the costs of travelling for home and away matches, adding, “We don’t have a facility to host home matches. This means the team has to play qualifiers in a different country. Where will we get the budget for this?”FKF Premier League clubs at risk of losing millions as KBC FTA deal hangs in balanceThe former Maldova national team coach also expressed concerns about the impact the qualifiers would have on local competitions.The FKF Premier League will face interruptions due to the national team’s commitments, starting with the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Cameroon in October.The CHAN qualifiers will further disrupt the league schedule.Kariobangi Sharks down Kakamega Homeboyz in MumiasIn November, similar interruptions are expected when Kenya faces Zimbabwe and Namibia in the final AFCON qualifiers, along with CHAN matches.Firat, who plans to use many local players in these matches, is frustrated by the disruption to the domestic league’s flow.
