Majority of Kenya U20 fans have decried poor officiating and blamed it on Rising Stars’ narrow loss to their Moroccan counterparts.Kenya made her U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) debut in a match against Morocco on Thursday 1 May, with the match ending 3-2 in favor of Morocco.Kenya U20’s AFCON debut soiled by Morocco in five-goal thrillerLaurence Ouma gave Kenya the lead in the 16th minute through a bullet header, connecting well with a Kevin Wangaya ball in the box, but a goal in the third minute of first half added time by Yassir Zabiri ensured that it was all square at the break.Zabiri was at it again 10 minutes after half time to give Morocco the lead, before Hassan Beja restored parity in the 71st minute from a low cross.Kenya’s joy lasted just seven minutes as Reda Laalaoui scored from close range after Kenya failed to clear their lines, thinking the referee would blow the whistle on a foul on Amos Wanjala.In the end, it was a 3-2 loss.Watch 📽Rising Stars lost 3-2 to Morocco in their opening Group B match at the U-20 tournament. They play their second game against Tunisia on Sunday, May 4. A win is crucial to keep their hopes of progressing alive pic.twitter.com/zi21vIuV1o— Mozzart Sport Kenya (@MozzartSportKe) May 2, 2025 With two of Morocco’s goals standing after VAR intervention, Kenyan fans were left frustrated as they shared their thoughts on the match.“The boys played well. This is a match we could have easily won save for silly mistakes and poor officiating. I did not expect such kind of officiating at the top level, especially when there is even VAR involved. Once again, it was one of those occasions that even VAR got it wrong, their third goal was a foul on Wanjala. Nevertheless, our defense should have cleared the ball,” said Paul Macharia on The Harambee Stars Facebook page.Dennis Otieno’s sentients were also similar to those of Macharia.“While we made our own mistakes, it is disheartening when we lose a match because of poor officiating. At the very least, VAR ought to have invited the center referee to have a second look at the goal herself. Otherwise, the boys played well, and I believe we have a chance to beat Tunisia in our next match. We must progress past the group stage.”Kenya U20 coach refuses to blame officiating in “unfortunate” AFCON loss to MoroccoMozzart Sport Senior Writer Kevin Teya also agreed with the two, but believes Kenya was a victim of their own making.“We shot ourselves in the foot with several missed chances. We ought to have won that game. Their third goal was a foul, the referee robbed us,” said Teya.For Munjiru wa Mwangi, the match was largely lost in Kenya’s tactical approach that looked too defensive, and did not allow them to exploit their own attacking threats“Left full back should improve a little bit. We should also stop defending too much. Enjoy football, you are also the giant of Africa. I wish you well in your next matches,” he stated.Fans also lamented Kenya’s inability to clear their lines for the third goal.“Defense and goalkeeping department please work on yourselves. Also learn to clear the ball first and not raise your hands. Nice try though, we go again on Sunday,” said LabanTarrys Arap Lokoriemet.PLAYER RATINGS: Kevin Wangaya dazzles in Kenya U20’s valiant defeat to MoroccoEdwin Kipchuma Silgich agreed with Lokoriemet.“Good game but I hope we have learned, especially the defense line. We easily lost concentration and started being referees instead of clearing the ball.”Felix Pierre also shared the same thoughts as Silgich and Lokoriemet on Kenya’s defensive mistakes.“The boys should be advised to play by the whistle. The last two goals were scored while the defenders looked on hoping the ref would signal an infringement, only for speculative players to tap in and wait for the VAR decision which went their way.”Morocco 🇲🇦 lead 3-2* This Kenyan 🇰🇪 U20 team is good….they deserve something from this game. #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 pic.twitter.com/4mPB9E1QRG— Velile Mnyandu 🇿🇦 (@Velile_Mnyandu) May 1, 2025 Elsewhere, Conrad Omondi was not very pleased with Wangaya and Aldrine Kibet.“Wangaya and Kibet are good ball carriers, but they should know when to release a quick forward pass to a teammate. Otherwise we had a great game,” he noted.Former Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba urged the boys, also noting improvements in the sporting industry.“I watched every single minute of this historic debut game for Kenya in Cairo, and I feel only immense admiration and respect for our Rising Stars lads. Our boys have run the well drilled, highly ranked and fancied Moroccan team incredibly close. If ever there was an “honorable loss” there never will be one better than this one.I watched every single minute of this historic debut game for Kenya in Cairo, and I feel only immense admiration and respect for our Rising Stars lads. Our boys have run the well drilled, highly ranked and fancied Moroccan team incredibly close. If ever there was an “honorable… pic.twitter.com/30z8yoWQeT— Amb Hon Ababu-Namwamba, EGH🇰🇪 (@AbabuNamwamba) May 2, 2025 The #TalantaHela vision of building it from the base by investing in youth talents is the only way up…It is the vision that has brought these U20 lads to a first ever Youth AFCON finals appearance for any Kenyan youth team. It is the vision that will anchor Kenya as a true talent hub and sporting colossus. Let’s keep believing. Keep trusting the process. Keep investing in our youth talents,” read part of Namwamba’s post on his Facebook page.Kenya will face Tunisia in their second match on Sunday 4 May from 1800 hrs EAT.Tunisia earlier on Thursday lost by a solitary goal to Nigeria in their first match.##NAJAVA_MECA_8899844##
