NAIROBI, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's national football team coach Sebastian Migne, says Kenya will turn around their misfortune and qualify for the Africa Nations Cup.
The coach, who signed a three-year contract, wants his team to focus on the four-team Hero Intercontinental Cup, which starts on Saturday in Mumbai.
"We need to engage our players and put them under pressure to deliver. That is why we need to test several patterns and players and with a tournament like this, it is not just about winning but what lessons do they learn," Migne said on Friday in Nairobi.
The coach together with his technical team finally left the country on Friday morning and will arrive in Mumbai in time for Kenya's first match on Saturday against New Zealand. Two defenders, Dennis Odhiambo and Bernard Ochieng, also made the trip.
"Our traveling papers had problems and we [were] delayed in submitting them to the Indian High Commission. But that has been worked on and here we are off to India," Migne said. The top two teams will face off in the final on June 10 at the Mumbai Football Arena in India.
The "Harambee Stars" will use the tournament to gauge the strength of their squad ahead of their fixture against Ghana in the Africa Nations Cup qualifier in September.
Kenya must beat the West African side and defeat Ethiopia and Sierra Leone to have a realistic chance of topping the group and securing their ticket to the 2019 finals in Cameroon.
