The history of football in Africa is an intriguing one; in its earliest days on the continent football was used as a way of promoting cooperation among community members. As more independent teams emerged during the mid-20th century, the sport became a new battleground for identity and independence. In some countries the competition between colonials and locals had become so stiff that African teams faced unfair treatment on the pitch, such as being restricted from wearing shoes and biased arbitration from European referees.
Sudan, South Africa, Ethiopia and Egypt came together in 1956 to establish the Confederation of African Football (CAF) aimed at uplifting the participation of African teams in the sport – and to move away from colonial leadership. The development of CAF gave birth to the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) the following year which, over time, has become Africa’s greatest football event.
By the early 70s, football had become a sport enjoyed by all African states and regional championships were formed. In 1973, the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) was formed with Kenyan team: Harambee Stars, emerging as one of the strongest in the region.
In 1975, the third CECAFA tournament was held in Zambia between October 31st and November 9th. Our stars were categorized in Group A with Uganda and Zambia where we maintained a lead, beating Zambia 2 -1 and drawing with neighbouring Uganda 1 – 1. That would go on to be the year that we qualified for the finals. On the final day, Kenya came face to face with Malawi, with both teams putting up a strong defence and reaching the 90-minute mark deadlocked at 0 – 0. The game was pushed into a penalty round. The strikers from the Malawi team put their best foot forward but Kenya scored 5 goals while they came in a close second with 4.
It was the first time that our national team had conquered at a major football event, proudly bearing our flag and heralding a decade of Kenyan prowess on the pitch. Do you have any memories of your favourite Kenyan football star? We’re waiting on the names… !