Kenya's national football team, the Harambee Stars, was reportedly left waiting in a hotel lobby for several hours upon arrival in Pretoria, South Africa, ahead of their two-match friendly series against Lesotho.
According to sports journalist Kevin Teya, the squad was initially taken to a substandard facility that players rejected as unsuitable for a national team. FKF officials scrambled to find alternative accommodation, but the second hotel's management requested full payment before allowing the team to check in, later agreeing to accept payment for a single night while awaiting further settlement.
Players were photographed slumped across lobby chairs in their red tracksuits, visibly exhausted. FKF had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.
The incident echoes a troubling pattern. As recently as July 2025, McCarthy pulled Kenya out of the CECAFA Four-Nations tournament after the team was booked into a substandard hotel in Tanzania.
The Stars face Lesotho at Lucas Moripe Stadium on June 4 and June 7 as part of preparations for the 2027 AFCON, which Kenya co-hosts.
According to sports journalist Kevin Teya, the squad was initially taken to a substandard facility that players rejected as unsuitable for a national team. FKF officials scrambled to find alternative accommodation, but the second hotel's management requested full payment before allowing the team to check in, later agreeing to accept payment for a single night while awaiting further settlement.
Players were photographed slumped across lobby chairs in their red tracksuits, visibly exhausted. FKF had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.
The incident echoes a troubling pattern. As recently as July 2025, McCarthy pulled Kenya out of the CECAFA Four-Nations tournament after the team was booked into a substandard hotel in Tanzania.
The Stars face Lesotho at Lucas Moripe Stadium on June 4 and June 7 as part of preparations for the 2027 AFCON, which Kenya co-hosts.
