Four missing as Junior Starlets fine-tune World Cup preparations

Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche says the team is largely complete as preparations intensify for the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco next month.

Speaking during a training session at the Kasarani Annex, Cheche revealed that three players from Butere Girls are yet to join the squad, while midfielder Mwanakombo Bakari will miss the tournament after securing a scholarship to the United States.

“Most of our players have reported to camp. We are missing four, three of whom are from Butere Girls. They are yet to be released, but we have communicated with them,” said Cheche.

She added: “We also have Bakari, who got a scholarship in the US. Hopefully, we will have her in the future, or even before the World Cup.”

Cheche believes the new additions to the squad have already shown enough quality to compete at the highest level and should have little difficulty settling into the team.

“We have made a few changes in how we are going to approach the matches and also added a few players to give us an edge. Hopefully, that works out for us,” she said.

The coach acknowledges the challenge awaiting Kenya in Morocco but says the team is determined to make it through to the knockout stages.

The players are equally focused on improving ahead of the tournament, with Pauline Namisi saying the squad is working to address mistakes made during the qualifiers.

“We are working hard to rectify the mistakes we made during the qualifiers so that we don’t repeat them on the biggest stage in Morocco,” said Namisi.

The Junior Starlets will be making their second appearance at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup.

The tournament will run from October 17 to November 7, giving Cheche’s side several more weeks to sharpen their preparations before heading to Morocco.