“Uganda are already preparing for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.” This was Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat’s observation after the team experienced the playing surface at Nelson Mandela Stadium.Stars and the Warriors had a brief session on Thursday evening at the newly renovated facility as part of the mandatory pre-match practices for international encounters.##NAJAVA_MECA_8317128##The match would have been hosted in Nairobi, but Kenya was forced to look for an alternative venue due to the current lack of a CAF-approved facility in the country.Firat commended the Ugandan government and its football federation for upgrading the facility, which is earmarked to host some of the 2027 AFCON matches.So impressive is the facility that it convinced Firat Uganda are making positive strides towards being ready as one of the host countries, unlike Kenya.The recently renovated Nelson Mandela Stadium (Namboole) in Kampala, Uganda where Harambee Stars will host their home clash against Zimbabwe in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. pic.twitter.com/qcdDa6xKHZ— Mozzart Sport Kenya (@MozzartSportKe) September 6, 2024 Last year, Kenya won the rights to stage the finals alongside Uganda and Tanzania after CAF approved the Pamoja Bid.”We thank FUFA and the Ugandan people for being good hosts. The conditions here are good, and the field is superb. We can only dream of such in Kenya. I see Uganda are ready for AFCON. We are very far from this,” Firat said.The Turkish tactician urged Kenyans to take a hard look in the mirror, stop the blame games, and learn infrastructure lessons from Uganda and Tanzania.The former Moldova head coach noted that Kenya had, for a long time, ignored the need to improve sporting infrastructure, which is crucial for football success.”People never look at the reality. Let’s start with the infrastructure and compare it with that of Uganda, and see how far we are from top football. Kenyans like blame games. From the time I came, nothing has changed. While Uganda and Tanzania continue to realize growth, we are busy talking. You can’t go to the World Cup or AFCON through talking,” Firat challenged.5 key battles expected in Harambee Stars AFCON qualifier against Zimbabwe
