Football
Exclusive: Bob Oyugi Reveals why Engin Firat Failed to beat Cameroon in AFCON Double-Header
Bob Oyugi critiques Engin Firat’s inconsistent tactics as key to Harambee Stars’ AFCON double-header defeats against Cameroon, urging for new management
Image Credits: Gor Mahia
Former Gor Mahia coach Bob Oyugi has revealed why Engin Firat’s Kenya national team Harambee Stars suffered back to back defeats against Cameroon in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The East African nation suffered a huge blow in their quest to qualify for the 35th edition of the tournament in Morocco after losing their match day three and four fixtures against the Indomitable Lions.
Kenya suffered a 4-1 defeat in the first round meeting at Japoma Stadium in Douala on Friday, October 11 before losing 1-0 against the five time African champions in the reverse fixture at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Uganda on Monday, October 14.
The two defeats coupled with Zimbabwe's two consecutive wins against Namibia saw Kenya drop to third on the log with four points with only two matches remaining to end the qualification round.
For Zimbabwe, they beat the Brave Warriors 1-0 at Orlando Stadium in South Africa and 3-1 at the same venue to move to second on the group with eight points, two less leaders Cameroon and thus dislodging Kenya.
Kenya Deserves Updated Manager with Proper Chemistry
According to Oyugi, Firat’s claims after the Cameroon defeat that Kenya lost because of lacking accuracy were uncalled for and that the Turkish tactician should carry the blame for his failure to establish a consistent squad for Harambee Stars.
“Against Cameroon, the coach Engin (Firat) had to fail as he lacked to establish a consistent team - in simple terms - he keeps changing players in every game,” Oyugi told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview.
“Secondly, he still needs more experience on Cup of Nations, and lastly the coach should have more time with the players by attending more games in the local Kenyan Premier League. He needs to grace as many matches as possible to see the quality that we have and get players, whom he can stick with.”
Oyugi continued: Firat blames "lack of accuracy" for the defeats against Cameroon, but I tend to disagree. Harambee Stars- is currently a team of professionals that deserves a well updated manager with proper chemistry of fielding a homogeneous team and the ability of learning each players mental state.
Dennis is a seasoned journalist in Kenya with over 18 years of experience. Having started his career at Kenya Times Newspaper, Dennis worked for Standard Newspaper for nearly six years as a Sports Writer. At Standard, he was privileged to cover Kenya's national team Harambee Stars outside the country, the biggest of all being the Four Nations tournament in Cairo, Egypt. He also covered the U17 team in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
