By Peter Ochieng
Eight Junior Starlets players risk missing this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic or this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Education (KCSE) exams, if a difficult decision is not made.
The players are all form four candidates, and form the backbone of the Women’s U-17 team that last month became the first Kenyan side to ever qualify for a FIFA tournament.
Dominican Republic will host the 8th edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup from mid October to early November, running parallel to the period KCSE exams will be administered.
Ann Aluoch, the team’s assistant head coach has urged the Ministry of Education in conjunction with the Ministry of Sports, to postpone the exams for the 8 players.
“We have eight players who will be sitting for their final exams in October and that means we risk losing them in the squad which will be travelling to the Dominican Republic for the World Cup.”
“Most of them are our first team choice and I’m urging the Ministry of Education together with the Ministry of Sports to postpone their exams to March 2023 to allow them take part in the World Cup,” she appealed.
Kenya qualified after producing a strong 5-0 aggregate win over Burundi in the two-legged last stage of qualifiers. Nigeria and Zambia are the other African representatives.
Aluoch said they will assemble in a month’s time, having broken camp after the Burundi win.
Players who risk missing KCSE or World Cup include Velma Auma (Wiyeta Girls), Christine Adhiambo (Nyakach Sec), Lorine Ilavonga (Wiyeta Girls) and Marion Serenge (ArchBishop Njenga) among others.
Kenya has been placed in group C alongside England, North Korea and Mexico.
Junior Starlets campaign starts on October 17, against England.