Football Kenya Federation (FKF) technical director Michael Amenga believes the standards of African football have greatly improved in the last couple of years hence the high quality of football at the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
Amenga was part of the CAF technical study group that brings together an illustrious panel of football legends, renowned coaches, and esteemed guests, offering a platform for in-depth discussions, expert analysis, and compelling insights into the Africa Cup of Nations.
“From a technical perspective Afcon has been good, really amazing,” said Amenga on Monday in Abidjan.
“There are no small teams and big teams anymore. I think it’s the hard work that has been put in by us Africans ourselves.
"The improvement in coaching, refereeing and infrastructure has contributed to significant growth.
"As you can see, Cote d’Ivoire has very good stadiums and that enhances the performances of every player. Preps have gone well.
"The managers are modernised and players are well prepared. There’s really good improvement in Africa,” he said.
Amenga believes Kenya is on the right path to qualifying for Afcon 2025 to be held in Morocco after missing out on Cameroon 2021 and Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
“We are on a good trajectory. We are preparing well and playing friendly matches. He (Engin Firat) is also following closely this Afcon. We play Cote d’Ivoire soon and I think we are planning well."
“The local fans are amazing. We hope in 2027, it can be the same. Without them there’s no football So we depend on them to push and players have to perform.”
With the current Africa Cup of Nations seeing more goals than last time out, Amenga appreciated the quality of attack from all the sides involved.
“It shows the strategy of the team that is conceding and the team that is chasing. When you attack most, what do you expect? There will be a counterattack and that’s hard to defend especially in transition. That’s why we are seeing many goals towards the end and less in the start.”
Amenga and the technical study group are expected to provide a comprehensive statistical report on the competition.
