Kenya’s national football team head coach Benni McCarthy says the four-nation pre-Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) training tournament in Arusha will be key in getting his charges ready for their debut next month.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will be joined by CHAN defending champions Senegal in a mini-tournament in Arusha from September 21 to act as their final warm up before the tourney kicks off on August 2.
Speaking to Telecomasia.net, McCarthy says it is crucial to have such an environment before the tournament.
This is very crucial for us because this team has not had any friendly matches and playing three very tough countries is key for us to know exactly where we are and test what we have been working on for the last few weeks. It will give us an indication of what to improve or work on few days before the tournament. I believe as a coach I needed this for the team to be ready for CHAN.
The Harambee Stars have played only one friendly match, against a local select side in Kenya, losing 2-1. In Arusha, they will play round robin matches against the three countries, giving the coach a view of where the team is at before their opening game against DR Congo on August 3 at the Kasarani Stadium.
