Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama has defended the immediate former head coach Engin Firat, citing that the Football Kenya Federation was the main problem.
Firat resigned in December 2024 after failing to take Kenya to the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 tournament after missing out on the top two positions in the qualifiers.
However, the Turkish international cited his resignation as being due to going for almost 12 months without pay and the pressure exerted by then Cabinet Secretary of Sports Kipchumba Murkomen.
Engin Firat terminates contract as Harambee Stars head coach over pending arrears
Despite many Kenyans wanting Firat to vacate the position, Wanyama, a former Tottenham player, defended him, saying that the management was the real issue even as he threw his support behind the new office led by President Hussein Mohammed and Vice President McDonald Mariga who is his brother.
“I think the problem was the management and not Firat, but now we have the new federation in, so I think now we’re going to see a lot of changes, and the team will start performing,” Wanyama told Flash score.
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He further added that things were not well for Firat who occasionally raised concerns about the difficulties the national team was facing. However, his pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Things were challenging for Firat because he often expressed concerns about the preparations and the facilities provided for him,” he added.
“It’s always tough for any team to play away from home, so he had a difficult task. Unfortunately, he has now resigned and the search for a new coach is underway,” Wanyama said.
As the new federation is set to announce the next national team coach, Wanyama, 33, believes it will be better for someone who understands African football and is not afraid of the task.
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“The Kenya national team needs a coach who understands African football, someone with experience in the continent’s game and not afraid to take on the challenge,” he said.
Wanyama expressed disappointment over the national team’s failure to qualify for AFCON, adding that it pains him more to see Kenya has good talent but not using it in the right way.
“It is disappointing not to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after missing the last two editions,” Wanyama added.
“What makes it more painful is that we have a lot of good talents yet we did not make it. We still have room for improvement and come the next one, we will qualify.”
Harambee Stars are taking part in the Mapinduzi Cup, after which they will prepare for the Africa Nations Championship that they will co-host alongside Uganda and Tanzania in February before they take part in the World Cup qualifiers in March.
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