Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has urged Kenyans to stop dreaming of playing in continental tournaments until the problems he has repeatedly highlighted are addressed.

This follows Kenya’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe on Friday at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane which saw the team denied a ticket to the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 (AFCON) 2025.

Firat, whose tactical approach has been criticized by many Kenyans, believes that the team’s poor performances are largely due to the country’s inadequate football infrastructure.

He said he raised the concerns multiple times, but little action has been taken to resolve them.

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“I can understand everybody. It’s their right to be angry because we wanted to go 100 percent. So, none of us is happy about it,” Firat said, according to South Africa publication Farpost.

“But we have to realize what we have and stop dreaming. You remember how many times I have spoken about problems in Kenyan football and they never fixed the problem. Things are getting worse. As long as we don’t solve these problems then it will take more years,” he noted.

Firat emphasized the importance of confronting the reality of Kenyan football.

“Why don’t we go after the reality that we have in Kenyan football and stop dreaming? Solve the problems.”

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The Turkish also criticized the public for demanding results without addressing the underlying issues.

“In Kenya, it’s only we want, we want, we want. By giving what? In three years, we have never played a match at home [in Kenya]. Show me another nation that has gone through that. We have no fans, nothing, we have no support,” Firat said.

He also pointed out the lack of proper training facilities.

“We don’t even have a training field in Kenya. Show me one training field. Which training field can you compare to another country?” Firat posed.

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He reiterated that unless the issues are resolved, no change in the coach or federation will make a difference.

“As long as we don’t solve these problems, what would you want to do? Do we change something, federation change? Coach change? What will change at the end? Nothing. There is a reason why the national team did not qualify for the last two AFCONs,” he said.

Firat took over as Harambee Stars coach from Ghost Mulee in September 2021. Since then, the team has won just three out of 15 matches.

Kenya’s next match will be against Namibia in the final Group J qualifier on Tuesday, November 19.

Harambee Stars miss AFCON ticket

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