Morocco end Kenya's hopes of gracing Amputee World Cup
Part of the action between Kenya and Zanzibar in the 2021 Cup of African Nations for Amputees Football (CANAF) at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam Tanzania on November 29, 2021.
What you need to know:
- In the match staged at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Kenya - who were the better side - were denied by the post several times, before Morocco killed the game in extra-time.
Kenya on Saturday failed to qualify for the 2022 Amputee World Cup after losing 1-0 to Morocco in the fifth place play-off of the 2021 Cup of African Nations for Amputees Football (CANAF) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
In the match staged at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Kenya - who were the better side - were denied by the post several times, before Morocco killed the game in extra-time.
“We have missed several chances. we hit the post like 10 times. They (Morocco) got one chance and used it,” moaned Kenya’s Team Manager Hashim Kamau.
Thanks to the victory, Morocco joined world champions Angola, Ghana, Tanzania and Liberia in sealing tickets to the World Cup, which will be staged in Turkey.
While only four slots had been reserved for Africa in the global championships, room for one more team to qualify for the global championships presented itself when Angola progressed to the semi-finals.
Kenya were eying a third appearance in the global championships after featuring in 2014 and 2018 in Mexico. In the 2014 edition, Kenya finished 12th while in the 2018 event, they emerged ninth.
The competition’s third place play-off between Angola and hosts Tanzania is ongoing at the Uhuru Stadium. The final between Ghana and Liberia will kick-off at 4pm from the same venue.
It is the third time that Ghana and Liberia are facing off in the final, with each having won in the two previous two final meetings.
Ghana beat Liberia 4-3 in the 2007 finals hosted in Sierra Leone.
In the 2011 edition, Liberia came from two goals down to defeat hosts Ghana 4-2 in penalties after a 3-3 draw. Liberia also lifted the title in 2009 and 2013.
Kenya’s captain Dalmas Otieno said their loss was due to blunt attack, poor defending and goalkeeping.
These weaknesses he said can only be corrected if there is a local league for Kenya’s amputee footballers.
“If we have a league then our players will have the endurance they need to play for an hour. Their confidence and ball handling will improve,” said Otieno.
“We only assembled the team a few weeks before the competition. That cannot be enough for a team to perform well on such a big stage.”
