Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat almost ran out of words as he, for yet another international window, had to respond to a question on why he kept calling up midfielder Anthony Akumu to the national team despite Akumu playing no club football.Akumu, 31, left the Japanese top-tier side Sagan Tosu in January following the expiry of his contract.LIVE! Engin Firat mad as Harambee Stars are forced to play away from homeDespite concerns from fans and media about his game fitness and age potentially affecting his chances of playing for Harambee Stars, Akumu has instead solidified his place in the team. He was included in the squad for the Four Nations Tournament and has now made it to the provisional team for the upcoming 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.Speaking about Akumu’s selection, Firat said, “It’s very simple. On one side, Teddy is a miracle for me because, for example, in Malawi, he played very well. His passing, his winning of the ball—everything is excellent.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8118090##In almost a bid to trash the argument that the former Gor Mahia man wasn’t match-fit for competitive action, he made an observation about how he looked in the first two days of training.“Yesterday we started training, and I can say he looks fitter than most of the players who are playing now in the Kenyan league. And I am not joking about that because when we made some recovery runs or whatever, I didn’t get the feeling Teddy was tired, but I cannot say the same about the other ones.“So, therefore, I am very happy that Teddy can bring this performance even in this very difficult situation. To be honest, I don’t understand. But it shows that he is a very perfect professional, and he is a key player for me. He’s strategically a very clever player, and I hope that in this period he comes to his real level.”Engin Firat explains why he included clubless Akumu in Harambee Stars squadAkumu made his international debut in 2011 and was on the scoresheet as recently as last year October when he scored Kenya’s opening goal against Russia in a friendly that ended 2-2.
