By Samuel Ouma
The Final Draw for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations that took place on April 13 in Cairo, Egypt, has elicited mixed reactions among Kenyan soccer fans.
During the draw, hosts Egypt, were pooled in Group A, where they will face Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Tanzania.
Group B has Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia and the defending champions Senegal are drawn in Group C alongside the Central African Republic, DR Congo, and Ghana.
A section of fans has expressed their anger terming the group as a pool of death. They claimed that the draw shows a wicked act from the CAF.
“If these people didn’t want us to compete in this tournament, they could have informed us in advance. What kind of wickedness is this? posed Clinton Ochieng’.
Patrick Musyoki said, “Previous we were grouped with Senegal, Zambia and Sierra Leone but now we are in the group of death.”
“This is a discouragement to our young boys. We don’t expect much. Let the boys go out there and enjoy themselves,” added Gordon Oyaya.
While some fans are whining about the draw, others are happy about it. They said that the draw would allow Kenya to show the entire continent their talent.
“Our boys will have a good outing here. I believe in our team. Let the boys go out there and attack and defend by attacking. I believe we will win this group if we dictate the terms in the field of play. Remember our team is attack oriented,” said Nohsid Agnug.
They warned the opponents against underrating Kenya.
“I am happy, at least the draw favoured us. It’s good to go to a game as underdog and make the impossibility become a reality. Kenya will be on a top notch,” said Fredrick Lee.
The tournament, slated to run from 27 April to 18 May 2025, will feature 13 nations battling for continental supremacy and four qualification spots for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, Chile 2025.
The four semi-finalists will earn tickets to represent Africa at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, Chile 2025, continuing the continent’s proud legacy at the global level.
