Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa maintains the men’s national football team remains on course to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
He spoke on Thursday night during a dinner hosted for Harambee Stars players and technical bench by the federation and betting firm Odibet, who are the official motivational partner of the team.
Stars have drawn three out of three games against Egypt, Togo and Comoros, and still have trips to Lome and Moroni to negotiate through.
“We lost points but didn’t lose the match,” explained Mwendwa.
“We are still in with a chance of qualification because we have three matches to play and the other teams in the group will lose points at some point. It is still an open game.”
As per the terms of this deal, Odibet will, among others, pay a winning bonus of up to Sh5 million to Harambee Stars players and technical bench members in the event of a win against Comoros in Moroni on Sunday.
“We are motivated by all the support from the fans, federation, government and sponsors. The squad is pained because we failed to get the result we wanted on Wednesday but it’s good we have a chance to put things straight at the weekend,” said Origi.
The experienced keeper also spoke on the goal he conceded in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw.
“The ball swerved mid-air and I was flat-footed. Maybe we should have defended better as a team and these are some of the things we are working on.”
Stars are set to leave for Moroni on Saturday morning via a chartered flight.
“We have a responsibility to grow football in Kenya. That’s why we are distributing thousands of balls to teams in the grassroots and now we are here to motivate the national team players in international assignment. This is a journey we are walking with this team towards helping them achieve success and possibly win titles,” said Odibet General Manager Dedan Mungai.
Egypt and Togo are the other teams in Kenya’s group. These two sides will meet in Lome and Cairo on Saturday and Wednesday respectively.
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