Legends Wanyama, Ngassa back CHAN to inspire growth of East African leagues

East African football legends Victor Wanyama (Kenya) and Mrisho Ngassa (Tanzania) believe the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 will leave a lasting legacy in boosting local leagues across the region.

For the first time, the month-long tournament has been staged jointly by three countries — Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Uganda will host the third-place playoff on Friday, before the final takes place at Nairobi’s Moi Sports Centre Kasarani on Saturday evening.

Both Wanyama and Ngassa, who are serving as trophy ambassadors, say the competition has reignited love for the game in East Africa and will significantly impact domestic football — especially given CHAN is reserved exclusively for home-based players.

“We (East Africa) have shown that we have a good level. All three countries reached the quarter-finals and we were very competitive,” Ngassa said. 

"This will impact the local leagues because these players will take this experience to their teams.

"It has also brought some hunger with other players because they also want to play at such a stage next time.”

He added: “This tournament gives us pride in our leagues. Fans will begin to see the value of following their local clubs, and the competition will push everyone — players, coaches, and even administrators — to step up.”

Attendance figures have been impressive across the three host nations, with Wanyama noting that the passion has extended beyond fixtures involving the home teams.

“We have seen a huge number of fans in the stadiums come watch the games from across the three countries,” Wanyama said.  

"In Kenya, we have seen that even matches not involving the Harambee Stars had a considerable attendance

"This shows that CHAN has brought football love back to the region.

 

"I think this will go a long way in developing the level of our leagues because when the fans are there, then the motivation and morale of players go up. 

"I am just hoping they can keep coming for the local games even after the CHAN."

Both legends praised the quality and competitiveness on display, pointing out that no team was guaranteed victory.

“Both Tanzania and Kenya topped their groups, but we see now that it is Madagascar and Morocco, who were both second in the groups, who made the final. It was really competitive,” Ngassa observed.

The two were speaking during a trophy media tour in Nairobi that included visits to Citizen TV, KTN, Standard Group, and Cape Media’s TV47 and Radio47.

They also highlighted the role of media in amplifying CHAN’s reach and drumming up support ahead of Saturday’s final between two-time champions Morocco and first-time finalists Madagascar.

“It will be a great spectacle of football and I want to call on all fans to come out and support. Kenyan fans really love football and I know they will be there at Kasarani to back their favourite teams,” Wanyama said.

The trophy tour also included courtesy calls to senior media executives. Standard Group’s Acting CEO Chacha Mwita said: “I am really delighted to be welcoming the CHAN Trophy to Standard Group because we are a sports-loving station and this resonates very well with our audience.”

Royal Media Services Group MD Wachira Waruru described it as “an honour for us as a station to have this trophy here. This is a moment we treasure.” At Citizen TV, the two ambassadors were hosted by journalist Rashid Abdallah.

At Cape Media, CEO Mwenda Njoka said: “We are humbled as a station to have this trophy with us. It means a lot for our audience and the presence of Wanyama and Ngassa even makes it sweeter.”

The two legends were hosted on-air by Tony Kwalanda, Fred Arocho and Duncan Mutua after touring the broadcaster’s state-of-the-art facilities.

The CHAN trophy has now visited five of Kenya’s leading broadcasters, having earlier stopped at national broadcaster KBC before heading to NTV.

The 2024 edition of the competition is expected to leave a strong legacy in East Africa, with figures like Wanyama and Ngassa urging both fans and stakeholders to harness its momentum for the growth of domestic football.