Kenya was Tuesday drawn in an arguably easy Group C of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.
According to the draws conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa, Kenya will clash with Burundi, Namibia and five-time winners Cameroon.
The top two teams in the group will join the rest from 11 other pools at the Afcon finals in Ivory Coast from June 23 to July 23.
While Ivory Coast will take part in the group matches, they have qualified for the Afcon finals by virtue of being the hosts.
Kenya’s first hurdle on the road to Ivory Coast is her suspension by the World Football governing body, Fifa, following the government’s interference of football management in the country.
Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohamed on November 11 last year hounded out of office the entire Football Kenya Federation (FKF) team led by president Nick Mwendwa on corruption allegations.
She replaced it with a Caretaker Committee and a Secretariat.
But after the government gave a deaf ear to their demands to have the officials reinstated back in office, Fifa on February 24 suspended Kenya from all it’s activities until Mwendwa and his team are allowed back in office.
The World Football governing body ratified Kenya’s indefinite suspension on March 31, during the Fifa Congress in Doha, Qatar.
And on April 12, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) said Kenya risks missing the competition, if the suspension will not have been lifted, two weeks before the start of the qualifiers.
Zimbabwe is the other country suspended by Fifa, owing to the same reason.
“In case the suspension is not lifted two weeks before the match day of the qualifiers, both associations will be considered as losers and eliminated from the competition,” said part of the communication from Caf then.
It added: “Consequently their groups will be composed of three teams. The first and the runners up of groups of these teams will qualify to the final tournament.”
While ex-Kenya international Elijah Onsika is of the view that the stalemate should be solved immediately, so that Kenya competes in the forthcoming showpiece, coach and instructor Bob Oyugi said the country should first put her house in order.
“It is a very sad situation that we are in and those feeling the pinch are the players. If we don’t take part in Afcon, how will scouts from top leagues around the world notice them? This matter should be solved immediately for the sake of our footballers,” said the former Harambee Stars striker.
Oyugi said: “Will playing in the Afcon 2023 solve our problems? We need to put our house in order once and for all. Let us not rush into making decisions because we want to take part in the coming Afcon.”
Should the suspension be lifted two weeks before the start of the games, Kenya will be hoping to make a return to the Afcon finals after missing out in the delayed 2021 edition held in Cameroon. Kenya performed dismally in the competition’s qualifiers, registering just one win in six matches to finish third on seven points.
Heach coach Engin Firat’s contract was not renewed thereafter and a new coach is yet to be appointed.
Egypt and minnows Comoros are the teams that progressed from the group on 12 and nine points respectively. Togo finished last on two points.
Kenya last graced the Afcon finals in 2019 in Egypt where they failed to make it past the group stages.
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