Kenya’s Under-20 men’s team coach Anthony Akhulia says the team is challenged to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations and ultimately the FIFA World Cup, after the bar set by the girls’ team which qualified for the U17 FIFA World Cup.
The Junior Starlets became the first ever Kenyan team to qualify for a World Cup and now Akhulia says they are determined to follow in the footsteps.
Speaking to Telecomasia.net, Akhulia said they will work hard to achieve the feat:
They posed a real challenge to us and one that we are ready to take. I believe we have the perfect team for that and we can actually achieve it. We have participated in this competition twice and we have reached the final, meaning we are in the right frame to qualify for the Cup of Nations and ultimately the World Cup.
Anthony Akhulia exclusively for Telecom Asia Sport
Kenya will compete in the CECAFA regional qualifiers for the Cup of Nations which start next week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The top two teams from the competition will qualify for the Cup of Nations. At the Cup of Nations, the top four teams qualify for the World Cup.
We have a very good opportunity. We have a team that has been together for a while and I believe the chemistry will help us attain our targets.
Kenya has been drawn in Pool A of the qualifiers where they will take on hosts Tanzania, Sudan, Rwanda and Djibouti.