Aboud Omar - Photo Courtesy FKF Media.
Harambee Stars head coach Francis Kimanzi has handed experienced Kenya Police FC defender Aboud Omar the armband for the Mapinduzi Cup tournament in Zanzibar.
Harambee Stars, who are featuring in the invitational tournament for the first time, have been drawn alongside Burkina Faso, Tanzania and hosts Zanzibar. They will kick off the tournament against the Stallions on Saturday, confront Taifa Stars of Tanzania on Tuesday, December 7, and wind up their group matches against Zanzibar on Friday, December 10.
Omar has revealed his desire to help Kenya win the trophy and use the tournament to build a strong squad for the 2024 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
“It hasn’t been an easy ride for the national team, especially with most of our games being played away. We’ve missed the support of our fans. I urge them to keep standing by us. We are building a strong team for CHAN, and we’re excited about finally playing in front of our home fans after such a long time,” said Omar.
On getting the captaincy armband, he said: “It’s a privilege and honour to be named captain. Having been part of the national team setup for a long time, I understand what this role means. Winning the Mapinduzi Cup is our bare minimum. I’ll demand more from the players, but above all, I must lead by example as an experienced player and a veteran of the team,” he said of his new responsibility.
“We have prepared well, and the team is in good shape. There’s a perfect blend of senior players and young talents who have shown immense potential and worked hard to make the final squad. We are not underdogs, and the target from the onset is to win the Mapinduzi Cup. Anything less would be a failure.”
The tournament kicked off on Friday with hosts Zanzibar edging out Tanzania 1-0 at the Gombani Stadium.
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