July 22 – Confederation of African Football (CAF) General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba has endorsed Kenya’s preparations for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) following an inspection.
African football’s number two is touring East Africa to inspect the preparedness of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to stage the CHAN, a tournament featuring national teams made up of home-based players. CHAN will run from August 2 until August 30, with Kenya staging the final.
In a statement, CAF General Secretary Mosengo-Omba said: “There is so much work and progress that has been made by the three countries; Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda over the last few months, working closely with the CAF team that has been on ground for a while. I must commend the work of the three Governments and the leaders of the three Member Associations from the three nations.”
“Today, I inspected the main stadium in Kasarani and Nyayo Stadium as well as some of the training facilities. We no longer have questions of the state of readiness, we are now just focusing on minor detail to ensure that we have everything in place by 2 August 2025. I will be visiting Tanzania tomorrow – the venue for the opening match.”
CHAN will serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, when East Africa will welcome the continent’s flagship tournament for the first time. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania had been due to stage CHAN last year, but CAF postponed the tournament, saying “more time is required” to ensure infrastructure and facilities were “at the levels necessary”. The postponement left Kenya in particular red-faced, having suffered from previous hosting failures.
On Monday, Kenya also announced their withdrawal from the CECAFA four nations tournament in Tanzania. “This decision was reached following recommendations and advice from the team’s technical bench, led by head coach Benni McCarthy, after a thorough assessment of the prevailing conditions in Karatu, which were deemed unsuitable for the team’s participation and overall preparations,” wrote Football Kenya Federation in a statement.
The tournament serves as a warm-up event for the CHAN, but Kenya were the third country to pull out after Sudan and Congo-Brazzaville. Hosts Tanzania, Uganda and Senegal remain as participants with tournament organizers tweaking the format.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1754219771labto1754219771ofdlr1754219771owedi1754219771sni@i1754219771tnuk.1754219771ardni1754219771mas1754219771