Rising Stars first-choice goalkeeper Benard Jairo will be subjected to late fitness tests ahead of Sunday’s (4 May) 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON U20) match against Tunisia at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.This follows a hip injury that kept the custodian out of the final training session held on Saturday night at the Egypt Football Association’s (EFA) Centre, located 45 kilometers from the stadium.Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news While the rest of the players were busy plotting for Tunisia’s fall on the pitch, Jairo sat out with team physiotherapist Bonaventure Odire by his side.Coach Salim Babu revealed that the decision to play or bench the shotstopper will be made on game day after Odire runs him through the final fitness tests. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8905901##Jairo was between the sticks in Stars’ opening match against Morocco on Thursday, 1 May. His penalty-saving instincts and skills earned praise following the comfortable catch he made on Othmane Maamma’s strike from the spot. ” We will make a decision on him tomorrow (Sunday), as he was not comfortable enough to be part of the final training session. We are cautious not to deploy players who are not fit to give one hundred percent input on the pitch. For now, he is not fully fit,” disclosed Babu. Why Egypt-based Harambee Starlet is confident of Kenya U20’s FIFA World Cup qualificationAt the same time, the tactician opened up on the possibility of left back Telena Ochieng getting minutes against Tunisia following his involvement in the last training session.Ochieng did not train in the build-up to the opening match against Morocco due to a knee knock that he picked up in the team’s 2-2 draw against Ghana in a friendly match played on 24 April.U20 AFCON Diary: Bread goes for Ksh5 with Kenyan athletes more famous in EgyptDespite his availability in the final session, Babu insisted that the Ulinzi Stars youngster, who was the preferred starter before the injury struck, is not ready to contest for game time. “He is still not at his best fitness-wise. Thankfully, we have good cover in Collins Ochieng for the left back position. Apart from the few nervy moments, he played well against Morocco. He is a good player,” added Babu.
