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Firat handed Ouma his debut at 17 when he was at Nairobi City Stars, and the talented youngster is now on the verge of helping Elfsborg qualify for the 2024/2025 Europa League group stage.
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has explained why creating as many opportunities as possible for young talented Kenyan footballers to move abroad especially from an early age will help grow the country’s football.
Firat has had a hand in helping give a lot of young players gain opportunities to launch their professional careers since taking over as national team coach, including Timothy Ouma, who is now a key player for Elfsborg in Sweden, as well as Benson Omala, who recently moved to the Middle East for Lebanon outfit Al Safa FC.
Stanley Wilson, who was also called up to the national team at just 17 last September, has also sealed a move to AIK in Sweden.
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12:15 - 23.08.2024
Harambee Stars teenage protege reveals ambitions after completing long-awaited move to Swedish giants AIK
The 18-year-old star reveals plans after completing his long-awaited move to AIK, having agreed terms to join the Swedish outfit last February.
However, Firat, who has been very vocal about the need to professionalise Kenyan football in order to help increase the quality of the players the country produces, now explained his point of view more concisely in a guest appearance on Passion Sports.
“People recently claimed that we need experienced players to bring results immediately. What kind of thinking is this?” Firat rhetorically asked.
Firat explained Ouma’s exponential growth since 2021 as an example of the vision he ideally wants the country to realise.
The youngster was plucked up by Nairobi City Stars after being discovered at the Safaricom Chapa Dimba na Safaricom grassroots tournament, and before long, was handed his international debut against Uganda later that year.
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13:00 - 23.08.2024
Harambee Stars midfielder 90 minutes from securing Europa League group stage spot for Swedish club
The Harambee Stars midfielder shone as he helped IF Elfsborg get one step closer to sealing Europa League group stage qualification with a crucial away win over Molde.
This exposure earned him a move to Elfsborg, where he has had to bide his time before permanently breaking into the starting line up this year. He is now 90 minutes away from becoming a Europa League regular, with the club beating Molde in the first leg of the playoff last Thursday.
“Timothy Ouma for example. I watched him play for City Stars when he came on as a 90th minute sub and thought he had a lot of potential.
“I took him into the national team and all the stories in the media were sensational. I gave him his debut and then the team from Sweden asked for my opinion on him and he moved there.”
Ouma’s emergence has naturally attracted the interest of bigger teams in Europe, including in France. It is not the first time a Kenyan footballer has scaled to greater heights after using Elfsborg as a platform, as Joseph Okumu himself is also a beneficiary of this model.
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14:30 - 23.08.2024
The worrying reason Michael Olunga could miss Harambee Stars' September AFCON qualifiers
Michael Olunga could miss Harambee Stars' next two matches against Zimbabwe and Namibia in September after his club provided a worrying update over his situation.
“Now many European teams are interested in him at 20. If I was not there to spot him, you would not have had this boy. I try to open the future for the boys who deserve it. They are the ones who will bring you to the top.
“This is the only way. A 28 or 29 year old player is difficult to change. Only very few players can improve. If your aim is to get to international level, it is easier to develop a younger player with big potential.”
Although Firat is aware that that model may not deliver results immediately, he believes it could help the side become sustainable over the long-term.
“You will suffer a lot on the way. Look at Timo against Ivory Coast for example. If he was 23 or 24 with more experience, he would have scored that.
“We have to understand that this is the only way these boys will learn and grow. Timo will be one of the most important players by AFCON 2027.
“If I do not take the risk and the blame when they do not perform as expected, then these boys will go nowhere.”
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