James Situma on why U-20 players must be groomed and integrated into Harambee Stars 2027 AFCON squad

James Situma on why U-20 players must be groomed and integrated into Harambee Stars 2027 AFCON squad

Evans Ousuru 10:25 - 16.01.2025

James Situma is clamoring for a seamless transition of the Junior Stars into the Harambee Stars team for the 2027 Afcon squad.

The African Nations Championships (CHAN 2024) postponement has paved the way for Kenya to make proper planning for the biennial tournament that will be held in August.

As the country looks beyond CHAN, the prospect of hosting the 2027 Africa's premier competition has elicited a debate on what national team, Harambee Stars should look like in two year's time.

As the search for the permanent replacement of departed Stars coach Engin Firat shapes up, former defender James Situma reckons that the Football Kenya Federation need to burn their midnight oil to see to it that the current crop of U-20 players are super ready for the 2027 edition and beyond. 

“The best progress is to come up with good structures to make sure that these U20s are engaged in friendly matches to keep them fit," he told Citizen Digital.

"Most of these kids are 19 years old, meaning that between now and 2027 we will be having a larger group of players in their 20s and 21s. This is a team that we should give maximum support and give it room to blend with the senior team to come up with a complete team ready to compete at any given level against the finest opponents on the continent and beyond in a few years to come,” Situma added.

Situma, the former AFC Leopards player, says FKF must invest heavily on the U-20 team by assembling the players in a camp and carrying out their programs tailor-made for growth. “Even if there are no international matches to play, FKF should call these players to camp as we also have them go through programs that will ensure they stick together,” he added.

Situma's clamour for the juniors to be integrated into the senior set up comes in the wake of the U-20 team qualifying for the Afcon U-20 alongside Tanzania.