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Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has pointed out what they missed during the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Ivory Coast on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

Kenya managed a point from the game against the African champions following a 0-0 draw, and to Firat, sometimes luck counts and at other times quality is missing.

The former Moldova national team coach said Harambee Stars deserved to win both matches against Burundi and Ivory Coast, but they only managed two points in the end. The Kenyan national team played in Lilongwe, Malawi, as both Nyayo Stadium and Moi International Sports Complex are out of use following ongoing renovations there.

“Ivory Coast had only the ball and one goal chance; the rest were on our side. Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes quality is missing. We should have won against Burundi, and a win against Ivory Coast would have put us in a good position,” Firat told the press, as quoted by a local publication.

Firat’s concern

Again, Firat pointed out the standard of the Football Kenya Federation Premier League, saying it needs serious improvement.

“We played against Ivory Coast with mostly local players, and I have said it many times that the players in the Kenyan league are not at the physical levels expected to play against this kind of big teams. Under such circumstances, I would say they did very well,” he added.

This is not the first time Firat is complaining of the standards of Kenyan club soccer, given that he previously asked the players in the local competition to go out and consequently improve to help Harambee Stars.

“My advice to our local players is that if they feel they are good enough, then they should seek to play in big leagues to improve not just their skills but also the competitiveness of Harambee Stars,” he said in March during an interview with a local radio station.

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