)
The Turkish coach would have stayed much longer in Kenya had he managed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as per the contract he entered with FKF.
Outgoing Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat would have earned a two-year contract extension had he guided Kenya to qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Firat resigned this week in light of last week’s outcome of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) elections which ushered in Hussein Mohammed as the new president.
Having been appointed by the Nick Mwendwa regime, Firat knew his goose was cooked when Mohammed assumed office and decided to throw in the towel before the new FKF boss wielded the axe.
)
17:32 - 11.12.2024
FKF president Hussein Mohamed confirms Engin Firat departure as new era begins
FKF president Hussein Mohamed has revealed Engin Firat's resignation as Harambee Stars coach, signaling changes in the team's leadership.
There had been conflicting information over the nature of the contract of the much-maligned Turkish tactician, who only managed three competitive wins in the three years that he was in charge of Harambee Stars.
FKF has now confirmed part of what had been subject to debate that his key deliverables were to ensure Kenya qualified for AFCON 2023 and 2025. With the country being locked out of the qualifiers for the 2023 tournament due to a FIFA ban, the 2025 tournament in Morocco became a priority.
“Firat initially entered a two months contract with FKF in September of 2021 that later earned four years and two months extension until January 2026,” Mohammed told the media on Wednesday.
“Part of this deliverables included qualifying Kenya for the 34th edition of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations as well as the 35th edition of AFCON 2025 which could have earned him a further two years contract extension.”
It means Firat would have secured a further two years on his deal that was running up to January 2026 which would have seen him oversee the team during the AFCON 2027 which Kenya will co-host with Uganda and Tanzania.
It is perhaps why he kept saying that he was building a team for AFCON 2027 but immediate results and his tyle of play did not impress fans who had been calling for his sacking even before his resignation.
)
05:28 - 19.11.2024
Tactical naivety, litany of excuses & more: Why Engin Firat must be held accountable for Harambee Stars' failures
Engin Firat exuded confidence after Kenya topped their AFCON qualification group, sending a warning to Andre Onana and Cameroon, but once results went haywire, he became defensive.
Firat won just one of his six AFCON 2025 qualifiers, a 2-1 win over Namibia, after a goalless draw with Zimbabwe, who would later force a 1-1 draw, and back-to-back 4-0 and 1-0 losses to Cameroon that locked them out of the tournament.
They ended their qualifying campaign with a goalless draw with Namibia to finish third in their group with six points, as leaders Cameroon and runners-up Zimbabwe qualified.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)