NAIROBI — Nairobi United technical director Salim Ali admits he was surprised at the mentality of his players amid a hostile environment in their Confederations Cup encounter against Tunisia's Etoile Sportive du Sahel in Sousse.
Ali says they received poor hospitality from their hosts and praised his charges for rising above the challenges to qualify for the group stages.
"When we came here, there was a different atmosphere in the team. What I saw from the players was really something amazing. I had never seen it before. This is considering they are young boys," the gaffer said.
He added: "I believe that in terms of hospitality, the way these players treated us was not good. Other than that, we tried to prepare our players on what kind of pressure to expect in the match."
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In retrospect, the former Mathare United head coach believes the players have been gradually stockpiling on self-belief since they fell some big guns on their way to winning the domestic cup, last season.
"When we played against the Premier League teams in the FKF Cup and then against Gor Mahia in the final, there was a belief that developed in the team. We could see the same against NEC (of Uganda) in the first preliminary round," Ali observed.
The Kenya Premier League newbies made history as the second ever to qualify for the group stages of the prestigious competition after outclassing the hosts 7-6 on post-match penalties.
Both teams were locked at 2-2 on aggregate after the hosts had done well to win 2-0 on the night.
The Kenyan representatives had to swim against the tide that included a rapturous home crowd that did all they could to distract the players with jeers and laser lights.
Ali points out that the home fans should have known better.
"They have a very bad crowd. At the end of the day, it's only 90 minutes. The fans cannot score. The only thing is the 11 players who are on the pitch...they are the ones who can score," he said.
Attention now shifts to the group stages where Naibois will be mixing it up with the best of the best in the competition.
It will be no walk in the park for the debutants; regardless, Ali insists they will be ready and raring to go.
"I believe we can get good results home and away. The players can go as far as they can and we will support them," he said.
The Johnston Sakaja-owned team jetted into the country, early on Tuesday morning to a red carpet reception at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
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