Sebastien Migne says Harambee Stars fans should be happy that the team is finally taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) after several years out.
Kenya will be making a return to the competition after a 15-year absence and have been pooled in Group C alongside Algeria, Senegal and Tanzania.
The Kenyan side will open their campaign with a tricky clash against the North African side at June 30 Stadium on Sunday.
This will be Kenya’s sixth appearance at the tournament and in the last five, they have never gone beyond the group stages, recording only one win in the 14 matches played since 1972. Kenya has lost nine times and drawn four matches.
“It is a good pressure to participate at the tournament, because we were absent for the last 15 years, and will have stayed at home to watch on TV,” Migne told reporters ahead of the showdown with Algeria.
“We are very happy to be here for the tournament and honestly speaking, every Kenyan must be very happy. We are ready to learn from the top teams, do our best and give a good image for the Kenyan football.”
2004 remains the best Afcon outing for Kenya. Prior to that edition, Harambee Stars had not scored a goal in the finals, nor won a game, but under coach Jacob Mulee, they finally broke that jinx with a 3-0 victory against Burkina Faso.
Algeria had two pre-Afcon matches against Burundi and Mali, drawing 1-1 and winning 3-2 respectively. On the other hand, Kenya won against Madagascar by a solitary goal before drawing 1-1 against DRC Congo.
