Kenya coach Firat faces scrutiny over squad selection
Harambee Stars midfielder Austin Odhiambo (right) takes on Zimbabwe Warriors’ Tewanda Jethro during their 2025 Africa Cup of Nation Group “J” qualifier at Namboole Stadium in Kampala, Uganda on September 6, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Mulee said Harambee Stars’ performance was also affected by a lack of the crucial home supporters.
- Kenya hosted the match in Kampala since no venue at home meets Fifa and CAF standards for staging international football matches.
Harambee Stars coach, Engin Firat, is again facing scrutiny as he prepares to face Namibia on Tuesday in Kenya’s second 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Group ‘J’ qualifier match.
A below-par Kenya were held to a barren draw by Zimbabwe in their opening qualifier match on Friday at Nelson Mandela Stadium, Namboole in Kampala. One of Kenya’s most successful coaches, Jacob “Ghost” Mulee, has torn into Firat’s squad selection, wondering why the Turkish tactician failed to field an out-and-out striker.
In the game against Zimbabwe, Firat shocked many when he started without a striker.
Firat had the option of fielding Benson Omala, Scotland-based Jonah Ayunga, John Avire who plays in the Egyptian League and AFC Leopards player Victor Omune.
In his stint as Harambee Stars coach, Firat has always build their game around prolific scorer and team captain Michael Olunga.
The Al Duhail hitman scored a hat-trick against Zimbabwe in the finals of the Four Nations Cup back in March but was not available for Friday’s match because of injury.
Firat did bring in Avire in the 67th minute of the match but to no avail.
“I don’t know the reason why we were not able to be brave enough to pick at least a striker in the game because that was clearly missing,” said Mulee, who guided Kenya to the 2004 Afcon finals in Tunisia.
“We did not have a predator. It is Firat’s tactics and I don’t want to go into that but from what I saw, I don’t think we were going to score at any given point. We did not have the bite in front of goal and that was our major undoing,” he added.
Mulee said Harambee Stars’ performance was also affected by a lack of the crucial home supporters.
Kenya hosted the match in Kampala since no venue at home meets Fifa and CAF standards for staging international football matches.
Had the towering Avire or other strikers come on in the first half, they would have capitalised on the many crosses Eric ‘Marcelo’ Ouma unleashed in the box.
“Their defence was strong and physical so we wanted to use the trick of passing the ball around them. It worked in some instances in the first half but not in the whole game,” said Firat as he defended his decision not to start a striker.
Kenya will face host nation Namibia at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.
