Gor Mahia head coach Johnathan McKinstry has revealed how clubs could benefit from Kenya hosting the African Nations Championship (CHAN) ahead of the 2024 edition, as well as the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments.
McKinstry, who managed Rwanda and Uganda before joining Gor Mahia as head coach, believes that all local clubs should train in good facilities similar to the Safaricom Foundation Academy facilities, which Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars use.
“I have said many times before that facilities are a great factor but it is not just about match facilities,” McKinstry.
“We want the pitches that the games are played on to be as high quality as possible but look, we are sat in this beautiful facility in Thika, but there is not enough of this.
“All KPL teams should be training in this type of environment. They should be available in terms of being constructed. But should also be affordable for these teams.
“You go to Rwanda for example and when they hosted CHAN in 2016. They used that as a moment of investmet not just to upgrade stadia, but also to build artificial and grass pitches all over the country.
“Here in Kenya, we are due to host CHAN, we are due to host AFCON. The legacy of those should be to have at least 10 training facilities that are like these ones we are sat in right now.”
The Kasarani Stadium with a capacity of 60,000, the Nyayo Stadium which can accommodate 30,000 fans, and the Kipchoge Keino Stadium, are among the facilities Kenya has earmarked for the competition, with Talanta Stadium also set to be built in time for the event.
East Africa Pamoja Bid presented an array of stadiums set to be deployed for the tournament, meeting the requisite minimum of nine venues as stipulated by the tournament guidelines.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania the prestigious responsibility of hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) through the “East Africa Pamoja Bid”.
CAF specifies that each venue must be near an airport, a level-five hospital, and a five-star hotel.