Firat identifies key issues hindering Harambee Stars’ success

Kenya head coach Engin Firat (pictured) believes Harambee Stars’ success is hampered by small organizational issues that, if resolved, could make the team more difficult to break down or beat.

According to the 54-year-old Turkish tactician, who replaced Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee at the helm of the team, playing home matches away from home is one of the hindrances that needs to be addressed urgently before the team plays their next international matches.

With Kasarani and Nyayo Stadium closed by the government for renovation, Harambee Stars last played a home game in Nairobi on September 12, 2023, a friendly fixture they lost 1-0 against South Sudan.

Since that game, Kenya has played seven matches in all competitions, none of them on home soil. In their last 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Bu-rundi and Ivory Coast, Kenya was forced to play in Malawi at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe despite being the home team. They returned home with two points – a 1-1 draw against the Swallows and a 0-0 draw against the African champions – to stay fourth in the six-team Group F.

“I think the most important thing for us will be to solve a lot of organizational issues. We also need to play at home; we don’t always play at home, and it is very tough always to travel. Travelling constantly makes it mentally tiring for the players,” Firat told People Sport.

“If we can get a little bit better in our experience, playing together more with time, then things will be on our side. Playing our home matches in front of our fans would help, and I believe we can be a threat to many African teams.”

Firat continued: “When we played against Ivory Coast, we made more than 400 passes in 90 minutes. Therefore, we are on a good path. Sometimes, it is a reality that we don’t have star players, and some quality is missing. But if we manage to have all our players fit and available, we are a difficult team to break down and to win against.”

Firat further revealed that working closely with the players will help build a strong Harambee Stars side. “We need to always work with the players, not only in camp but even after the camps. We must be in contact, and I always send them videos on what they need to work on.”

“What is still missing is that we have a team that is growing, a team that is coming together. Every time we have new players joining the team who have no experience, so you can understand if these young players get the experience, everything will be easier for them to handle the pressure and finish the game.”

He concluded: “For example, if you look at our game against the African champions, they had only one goal chance against us, while we created many chanc-es. We were very unlucky against Burundi, but you can see the team has changed in many ways. In the last five matches, we conceded only two goals, and we never played at home.”