Opposition leader Raila Odinga offers encouragement to Harambee Stars players at their hotel in Cairo following the 2-0 defeat to Algeria in their first match of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. PHOTO | COURTESY
Despite Kenya’s slow start at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, opposition leader Raila Odinga has backed the team to defeat Tanzania on Thursday.
Harambee Stars lost 2-0 to Algeria’s Desert Foxes in her opening match at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Sunday shortly after Tanzania’s Taifa Stars were silenced with a similar scoreline by Senegal’s Lions of Teranga at the same venue.
Kenya meets Tanzania on Thursday in a must-win game for the two teams and Odinga, an ardent football fan, offered the team a pep-talk and encouraged the players to make a comeback.
PLAYED WELL
He also promised to ensure President Uhuru Kenyatta visits the team in Cairo if the team does what now looks like the impossible, and qualifies for the second round of this 24-team tournament.
“I want to assure you that you all played very well today (against Algeria). You have also shown that this is a team with a great future if we continue playing like this. I can see the coach is here and I’m certain if we can change a few things, then we will play better,” Odinga told the players.
TANZANIA MATCH
“We watched the match between Tanzania and Senegal and I’m confident we will do well against Tanzania. The Tanzanians are telling me they are confident of garnering three points against Kenya but I also told them I am sure the first points we pick in this tournament will be against Tanzania,” he added.
“I have told the President (Uhuru Kenyatta) that I will be here and he has told me if you guys reach the second round we will be back to cheer you on.”
Also present during this pep talk was the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Amina Mohammed, her PS Kirimi Kaberia and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa.
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