Former Harambee Stars head coach Stanley Okumbi believes the men’s national under-20 team will reach the latter stages in this year’s U20 Africa Cup of Nations finals to be held in Ivory Coast.Kenya is in Group C alongside defending champions Senegal, Sierra Leone and Zambia in the tournament to be held between Saturday 26 April and Sunday 18 May 2025.Swedish-based Harambee Stars legend slams state of ‘dangerous’ Kenyan stadiaThe former Kenya Under 20 head coach opened up on reasons why he backs Rising Stars to progress further in the continental tournament despite this being their debut.“When I look at the group, I can confidently say that we have a good chance of progressing further due to the fact that the majority of players in the team are now playing in the Premier League.##NAJAVA_MECA_8720340##Many of those playing are now in the starting line-up. This is unlike previously when we had a situation whereby the players had signed for top clubs but were not getting playing time. Right now the majority of the players are engaged heavily and this gives the team a good advantage going into the tournament,” he said.Harambee Stars striker looking forward to ‘dream’ meeting with Cristiano RonaldoOkumbi has called on the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to organize high-profile friendly matches for the team to put them into a competitive mood.“It is a long time since they played together as a team and the new federation therefore needs to ensure that they play high-profile matches so that the team can gel before the tournament.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8720344##Okumbi has also predicted that the senior national team is likely to benefit greatly from the national under-20 team playing in the competition.“Eventually participating at this level is beneficial to Harambee Stars because the players are getting major exposure and developing a competitive mentality which they transfer to the senior team when called.Victor Wanyama opens up on his trophyless stint with Tottenham HotspurWhen you have such young players exposed at this level, the future of Harambee Stars remains bright.”This is the first time that the national under-20 team is taking part in the tournament. They qualified after finishing runners-up at the Council for East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) tournament held in Tanzania in 2024.
