Harambee Stars tactician Firat in town ahead of Burundi friendly
March 1, 2023
2 min read
Harambee Stars Head coach Engine Firat alongside FKF Chairman Nick Mwendwa: PHOTO/COURTESY
Kenya’s football national team head coach Engine Firat has arrived in the country ahead of two crucial fixtures against Burundi later this month.
Firat on his second stint as Harambee Stars coach will prepare the team for its first international match since November 2021 when they took on Rwanda in a World Cup qualifier match.
The matches will be played on March 25 and 28 respectively in Nairobi.
The Turkish national coach first handled Harambee Stars for three months in 2021 and took charge of three FIFA World Cup qualifier matches.
Firat will be in charge of the national team’s return to the international stage after a year away due to a FIFA ban imposed on the Football Kenya Federation (FKF).
He signed a three-year deal in February with FKF that will keep him in charge of the national team until 2026 and under his three-year contract, Firat will earn Sh 18 million annually, and Sh 54 million for the entire duration of his term.
Despite the salary, Firat will engage in the gruesome task of grooming Harambee Stars’ current crop of players ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2025 in Morocco.
Firat was previously in charge of Harambee Stars for two months at the tail end of the campaign for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He replaced Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee who had himself taken over from Francis Kimanzi who had been elevated to the hot seat after Sebastian Migne left.
Firat had previously coached the Moldova national team and was hired on a 2-month contract which shocked many observers and football enthusiasts in the country.
Not much was expected from him since his record with Moldova was sub-par.
He had a disastrous start when Kenya lost 5-0 away to Mali in the 2022 World cup qualifiers. A week later Kenya again lost 0-1 to Mali.
However, with a new team in hand, only time can tell if Firat will change the fortunes of the national team which has continuously dwindled over the years.
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