- Harambee Stars failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after a draw with Zimbabwe
- Head coach Engin Firat has been heavily criticized after Kenya's fate was sealed last Friday
- Harambee Stars legend Dennis Oliech has suggested a coach who he thinks should replace the Turkish coach
The coach of Harambee Stars Engin Firat has been under intense scrutiny following Kenya's failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Source: Getty Images
The Turkish is in his third year coaching the Kenyan team and has won only three matches in the competition.
Harambee Stars legend Dennis Oliech has asked Firat to be removed from that position and replaced by a local coach.
Firat was hired as Harambee Stars coach in 2021, and many fans hoped he would lead Kenya to the AFCON of 2025. However, with only one win in the playoff round, their dream is over.
Oliech's choice to replace Firat
Firat will be fired in the coming weeks or months after poor results during his tenure.
His only competitive wins were against Seychelles (5-0), Namibia (2-1), and Rwanda (2-1). All these sides are below Kenya in the FIFA rankings, and Namibia reached AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast.
The Turk arrived after being forgotten as manager of Moldova, where he did not manage to get a win in 11 matches he played.
Oliech wants his former coach, Francis Kimanzi, to take the reins of Firat.
“Kimanzi is the best choice to inherit Firat's bags, no other coach has brought the team to the level he did in 2008. He has proven himself for some time and is an expert in searching for talent, working with Salim, I believe they will do it. explore the right players and build a team capable of reaching the knockout stages of AFCON 2027,” he said through journalist Kevin Teya.
Kimanzi coached Harambee Stars between 2008 and 2011, leading them to their best ever list (68), according to Nation Sports.
Olunga speaks after Kenya's defeat in AFCON
Earlier TUKO.co.ke reported that Michael Olunga he highlighted the main problem that Harambee Stars faced during the playoffs.
The Al Duhail striker said that playing home matches away from home affected their performance a lot.
Engin Firat's record as Harambee Stars coach
TUKO.co.ke previously analyzed Engin Firat's record as Harambee Stars coach following their draw against Zimbabwe.
Firat has managed 23 games. He has recorded seven wins, seven draws, and nine losses, a 30.4 percent win rate. Of these seven wins, only three were in competitive games.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
