Harambee Stars head coach, Engin Firat, has pleaded with irate Kenyan football supporters to be patient with the men’s national team.
The Turkish coach made his comments a day after his team squandered a second-half lead to crash 2-1 to the Mellis in a thrilling international friendly encounter at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on Tuesday.
Firat claimed he needed more time to iron out the kinks that have been tearing a hole in Kenya’s international efforts.
“We will be prepared in a year, but right now there is still more work to be done. We require more time to advance,” Firat stated.
The coach jumped to the team’s defence, saying they fought bravely despite only having recently broken through a protracted slump brought on by a suspension imposed by the world football governing body, Fifa, in February of last year.
“I’ve always said these boys need time. They hadn’t played together in a while, and they were up against a formidable opponent in Iran. It was destined to be challenging. However, I am pleased with how they played and battled for everything.”
“We were unfortunate to lose, but in the end, everyone understands the clear path that we have set to follow.”
The Harambee Stars will not play in any competitive matches for the next eight months after being excluded from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying rounds.
The 2024 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), which is only open to players who compete in the local leagues, may be their next important assignment.
Tuesday’s exciting friendly match between Iran and the Harambee Stars at Azadi Stadium in Tehran ended with Iran winning 2-1 after the Harambee Stars blew a second-half lead. The valiant Stars took the lead in the 51st minute, and captain Michael Olunga was the toast of the nation.
Olunga skillfully lobbed the ball past the Iranian goalkeeper and into the bottom corner of the net after taking down an opponent in the middle of the field and dancing around a defender.
However, the Kenya Police goalkeeper Patrick Matasi made two elementary errors that allowed the hosts to score two goals with ease, ruining his earlier stellar performance in which he maintained composure under pressure to make three daring saves.
A well-placed free kick by Mohammed Mohebi from about 20 yards out caught Matasi off guard as the ball easily soared over the goalkeeper and slammed into the back of the net.
Then, with only six minutes remaining before the game’s conclusion, the former Tusker FC goalkeeper clumsily let Ramin Rezaeian’s feeble attempt from a tight corner slip through his cupped hands to double Iran’s advantage.
After taking the lead, the Kenyan players decided to retreat to the defensive third, giving their opponents plenty of room to set up a play and make additional inroads.
