Nyayo Stadium is ready to host this weekend’s first preliminary round first leg fixture of the CAF Confederation Cup match between Kakamega Homeboyz and Al Hilal Benghazi of Libya on Saturday.
The first meeting between the two sides was earlier planned to be staged at Azam Complex in Chamazi Tanzania owing to the unavailability of an approved stadia to stage the same in Kenya.
However, after a delegation of CAF visited the venue two weeks ago for inspection, they ordered some work to be done to improve the standards and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa confirmed yesterday the pitch is now in good condition to stage Homeboyz game in the continental stage.
“The game between Homeboyz and their visitors from Libya will be played at Nyayo, CAF gave us the task of improving some areas, especially in the dressing room and the playing surface, and the government did a great job in the shortest time possible to have the venue ready for the first leg clash,” Mwendwa told People Sports before he left the country for Australia where he is scheduled to watch the final of the Fifa Women World Cup on Sunday.
This will be the first time Homeboyz are taking part in CAF inter-club competitions after they defeated Tusker 1-0 in the final of the FKF Cup competition to earn the ticket.
Meanwhile, Gor Mahia, who were to represent Kenya in the Champions League by virtue of winning last season’s league, have already been disqualified by the African body after failing to meet CAF licensing rules.
Elsewhere Homeboyz coach Patrick Odhiambo has vowed to go for a convincing result when they take on Al Hilal Benghazi on Saturday.
The Kakamega-based outfit will be making their debut in the inter-club competition and will be the sole flag bearers for Kenya this season in the CAF competitions after FKF Premier League champions Gor Mahia were kicked out of the Champions League for failing to meet club licensing rules.
Ahead of the fixture against the Libyan side, Odhiambo has remained confident they will beat the visitors but stressed the importance of going for a huge win to make the return leg a mere formality.
“We are ready to make our bow in the competition, it is what we have been waiting for since we won the FKF Cup to earn the slot, even my players have been asking me when will this day (to play Al Hilal) arrive and now it is just two days away before we parade for Kenya in the continental stage,” Odhiambo told People Sports.
