Despite arriving in Arusha, Tanzania, the country for the tournament, Kenya pulled out at the eleventh hour, citing unsuitable conditions for the team’s participation and overall preparations ahead of the CHAN tournament that they will co-host alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
Despite Kenya’s withdrawal, the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) later confirmed the tournament will proceed as planned with hosts Tanzania playing against Uganda at the Black Rhino Academy Stadium in Karatu, Tanzania, on Tuesday, July 22nd.
Kenya pulled out because of football reasons
Addressing the matter for the first time since the team arrived from Tanzania, the South African legend said they had withdrawn from the tournament because of unfavourable conditions and the safety of the players ahead of the CHAN tournament.
“Very good to be back, very good environment, facility is good, yeah. I think, Tanzania was just a misfortune, you know, I think we went there with good intentions but unfortunately for football reasons, for football decisions, it wasn’t satisfactory,” McCarthy told Flashscore.
“The team, and the technical team, came together, we just said that we think very highly about ourselves and we want to have best preparations for CHAN, we want to get ready for CHAN, and if we want to continue in the tournament, it could have set us back majorly probably losing players to injuries, because the conditions were not favorable for us to work in.”
McCarthy continued: “We want to keep all our players fit, and to play at the highest and biggest level that we expect from ourselves, so yeah, because of those reasons, we felt that it was probably best for the safety reason of the players and the wellbeing of the players, for everyone involved in the squad, that it was the best not to participate, to come back and to have the best possible training last bit of camp left. That will optimise our chances because the group that we are in is a Group of Death.”
McCarthy further said coming back to Kenya was the best possible way to prepare for the CHAN, which will run from August 2nd to 30th.
“So if we are not properly prepared, then we are going to have shortcomings, and people will ask questions (about) why - if we have difficulties in the group stages, why is that.
"Us coming back to Kenya was the best possible way that gives us the best chance of going past the group stages even though it is such a tough and difficult group. Us being back here will give us the possibility."
“I think where we were meant to train was really not ideal, and we were going basically to have seven days there, and have two days of good training sessions, and five days off, and hoping that we would be able to come back and compete in CHAN.
“So, because of those reasons, we sat together as a team, and said that if the conditions are not favourable, then we rather come back to Kenya where we do have the facilities, and the right training pitches to train and maximise our sessions and our planning so that we can be ready for CHAN, so that was the main reason, football reason, nothing else.”
Harambee Stars, who are drawn into Group A - arguably the 'Group of Death' - will face DR Congo, Morocco, Zambia, and Angola in what promises to be a demanding campaign.
