Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat expressed his displeasure with the officiating in Kenya’s draw against Burundi in a 2026 World Cup qualifier match on Friday evening at Bingu National Stadium in Malawi.The Stars took the lead through substitute Duke Abuya, who combined well with Austin Odhiambo, giving hope to the Kenyan side. However, a defensive lapse from Daniel Anyembe and a slow reaction from Patrick Matasi allowed Abdullah Sudi to equalize for Burundi.##NAJAVA_MECA_8148122##Before the breakthrough, Kenya struggled for much of the match, with Firat describing the refereeing as highly questionable. In a fiery post-match reaction, Firat expressed his dissatisfaction with the officiating.”The first 15 minutes, we didn’t start like I wanted. Afterwards, we started our passing game and created goal chances. I cannot say I’m happy with the referee because they did everything to stop the game. Every ball, every free kick against us, every set piece took two or three minutes to restart,” he lamented.2026WCQ: Abuya strike not enough as Burundi rally to hold Kenya in MalawiFirat believes that the frequent stops by the referees disrupted the flow of the match.”It was not possible to maintain any tempo in this game. In the second half, we pushed more. We scored in the end, but we should have scored earlier. It’s a problem if you don’t score the second goal because this kind of crazy goal can happen,” he remarked.Despite the challenges, Firat applauded his players for their performances under difficult conditions.”I’m not unhappy with the way we played, especially considering the conditions we faced and what happened these days. So, therefore, I’m happy with the way the boys played, but not with the result,” he said.NSL: Eyes on Mara Sugar as they seek automatic promotion todayThe tactician remains optimistic about Kenya’s chances in the group ahead of a crucial match against leaders Ivory Coast, who defeated Gabon 1-0 to maintain a perfect start to the qualifiers.”So many things can happen. And like I said before, in our group, okay, Ivory Coast is the favorite. And I don’t think the Seychelles have any chance. But all the other teams, I think, are on a similar level. Therefore, it will be an open game until the last minute,” he concluded.Kenya currently sits in third place in Group F, tied with Burundi, with each team having accumulated four points. Ivory Coast leads the group with nine points, followed by Gabon in second place.
