Blog: Nyayo or Kasarani? We have everything to lose..

As far as football goes, when a national team has a match, whether an international friendly or a qualifier they usually host their opponents in the best stadium possible and only opt for other options in a case where the best stadium in the country is unavailable or circumstances are unavoidable.

The case here is the international friendly match between Kenya's Harambee Stars and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa which takes place later today.

When football fans including me heard that the high profile match will be played at the Nyayo National Stadium, a lot of questions ran through my mind; Why Nyayo and not the 60,000 capacity sitter Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani?

Many will argue that it being a weekday, Kasarani is a no no. Others too will argue that the distance involved to and fro the venue will be unfriendly to most fans.

All understood, but I will argue otherwise.

High profile

Keeping in mind that South Africa is a high profile team and we rarely get to host such here, the federation should have organized the Bafana match at Kasarani. I say so because Kasarani's all-round facilities are far much better than those of Nyayo, its sitting capacity is also double that of Nyayo, even though the fan turnout issue arises here.

The training facilities and playing ground at Kasarani is in very good condition, very even, if you ask me and considering what Nyayo has to offer, with it's pot-holed and bumpy surface, Kasarani comes out way on top.

I argue this way because with the South African match being shown all-over the world, we do not want scenes of good marquee players complaining about the playing surface or getting injured and then blaming it on our pitch.

It is a friendly match at the end of the day and we want to make an impression, so that some bigger teams can come here and enjoy good facilities in future, because Bafana gave us a thumbs up.

If it were a qualifier, where lots are at stake, then the Kisumu Stadium would have done, (so that we give them the worst chance of winning).. But seeing as it is a friendly, the best of the best matters right?

Everything to lose

Kasarani would have made our opponents more comfortable as they will have a chance to play in a ground almost similar to the ones they are used to, plus it would sell us too.

In my view, we are the ones with everything to gain and also everything to lose.