Kenyan forward Michael Olunga has made a passionate appeal to the Kenyan government hours before Harambee Stars face the Pharaohs of Egypt.
Speaking at the El Borg Stadium, the Kashiwa Reysol striker pleaded with the government to support players in different sports, who don the national shirt to represent the country.
He said representing the country on national assignments takes a lot of mental and physical preparation which requires government support.
"At the end of the day, it is just a matter of our humble request, you know, to the government to continue standing with the national team, not just the football, also netball, handball, rugby, each and every sportsman that goes out there to represent the nation," Olunga said. (0:38-0:58)
Olunga's appeal comes in the wake of a bitter dispute between the president of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and Sports Ministry Principal Secretary Kirimi Kaberia.
"I said here that the holder of the PS office is not willing to support football and most sports in general. He has money and has decided its better the boys are thrown out of the hotel for us to know who is the boss. Its not right and we shall continue to call this behavior out," Nick Mwendwa said on Wednesday.
There were reports that the national team risked being evicted from a hotel that they were staying in over unpaid bills, and it had to take the intervention of Egypt's sports minister to buy Harambee Stars more time.