Hosting CHAN tourney has benefits, let’s all support it
The Africa football governing body gave Kenya the greenlight to host the 2018 African Nations Championships.
This Africa competition (Chan) brings together 16 national teams with players who exclusively feature in their respective local leagues.
The development is a blessing for Kenya.
For decades, we longed for an opportunity to host a major tournament, after missing the chance to organise the Africa Nations Cup in 1996.
The incentives from mileage, exposing our talent (Kenya automatically qualifies because they are hosts), improvement of infrastructure – is what Kenya badly needs.
But this is where the positive things end.
The experiences Kenyans have of hosting regional and continental sporting events are unpleasant.
Last December, a number of teams were locked up in hotels over delay or non-payment of bills when the Kenya hosted the regional Cecafa Challenge Cup.
The Government stepped in to settle the bills, but the damage was already done.
The Government, that guaranteed Kenya’s bid to host the tournament, needs to renovate the existing stadia and build others of international standards.
Fours years is not far away. We need to groom a team that will consistently train together. Only, proper preparations will help Kenya win the title.
Lastly, stakeholders should join hands and ensure the project is a success for the good of our football.