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Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has expressed his reservations over Zimbabwe’s decision to host their AFCON qualifier against Kenya in South Africa’s northeastern city of Polokwane.
Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat is fuming at Zimbabwe’s move to host their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Kenya in South Africa’s northeastern city of Polokwane.
Zimbabwe will play host to Kenya on Friday November 15 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, over 320km away from the country’s capital Johannesburg, and Firat is not happy that they will have to travel for extra hours to get to the match venue.
Harambee Stars landed at the Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Monday morning and were to then drive to Polokwane but Firat is questioning why Zimbabwe did not host the match in the capital like they did in their previous qualifier, when they played Namibia at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
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13:00 - 11.11.2024
Harambee Stars land in South Africa ahead of must-win Namibia, Zimbabwe AFCON 2025 qualifying fixtures
Harambee Stars land in South Africa ahead of their two must-win AFCON 2025 qualifying fixtures against Namibia and Zimbabwe.
“I don’t know why they [ZFA] chose the stadium because it is very difficult to reach the city itself,” Firat said on Monday.
“To Johannesburg, we have a flight, but from there, we have to take a bus for around five hours to get to the stadium. It is also very difficult for us to have a domestic flight.”
Firat feels the complicated travel arrangements will have a huge impact on his preparations for the must-win match, insisting it will take its toll on foreign-based players who will have little time to train before Friday’s clash.
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06:00 - 11.11.2024
Zimbabwe vs Kenya: Stats that give Harambee Stars hope ahead of must-win 2025 AFCON qualifier
Kenya will face Zimbabwe in a match they must win to stay in contention for AFCON 2025 qualification but the numbers suggest Harambee Stars have an upper hand.
“We are traveling with a majority of our local-based players but for the others in Europe, it will be a long road. They will have to take a 15-16-hour plane till they are in South Africa,” he added.
“So, I think on Wednesday it's when we will have all our players in camp, and then training a day before our game on Friday.”
After Zimbabwe, Kenya, third in their group on four points, will then host Namibia four days later at the same venue, and need to get maximum points from both matches, hoping for favours elsewhere to seal qualification to AFCON 2025.
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06:30 - 11.11.2024
Harambee Stars legend backs decision to drop Matasi as he picks which goalkeeper to play against Zimbabwe & Namibia
The former Kenyan international has agreed with Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat’s move on the Kenya Police man while picking his favourite goalkeeper for the upcoming matches.
Cameroon, on 10 points, have already qualified for the tournament while Zimbabwe, on eight points, can eliminate Kenya with a draw on Friday.
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