Former Kenya international Elijah Onsika has called for the dismissal of Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat after the team failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).There were hopes after the East African nation was drawn into Group J of the qualification campaign, alongside Cameroon, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Many had expected Kenya to advance to the tournament alongside the Indomitable Lions.Firat had been optimistic about leading Harambee Stars back to the AFCON, having last participated in the 2019 edition held in Egypt, where they failed to progress past the group stage.##NAJAVA_MECA_8502090##However, Kenya’s campaign took a nosedive after back-to-back defeats to Cameroon. The team lost 3-1 in the first fixture at Japoma Stadium in Douala, then fell 1-0 in the reverse fixture at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Uganda.Despite Firat’s continued optimism about Kenya’s qualification chances, their hopes were dashed on Friday, November 15, after a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in their matchday five fixture at Peter Makoba Stadium in South Africa.The result meant that Zimbabwe secured the final qualification spot from the group, joining Cameroon on the road to the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.“We have seen enough of this coach (Firat). I don’t know what else FKF, who hired him, wants to see beyond what we have already seen. It is time they took action and sent him packing. He has failed us, he has failed the country, and the longer he stays, the tougher it will get for those of us hoping for positive results from Harambee Stars,” an agitated Onsika told Flashscore.A look in Engin Firat’s 3-year Harambee Stars tenure delivering three competitive wins“Look at the game against Zimbabwe. There was no hunger from the team, no physicality. The team just needs a total overhaul. They were slow and lethargic, playing without any clear objective. You could be forgiven for thinking it was a friendly match in Polokwane.”Onsika continued, “For any rebuilding of the team to be successful, Firat must go. He carries all the blame, especially for our results against Zimbabwe and Cameroon. He keeps changing the squad and playing most players out of position. He rarely gets it right on matchday, and it makes you wonder what he does during training sessions.”A while back Engin Firat said Kenya 🇰🇪 not only has to qualify for AFCON 2025 but also reach the round 16. @Kiinya_Y feels he shouldn’t continue after failing to lead #HarambeeStars to the tournament pic.twitter.com/V15Mu0udkI— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) November 15, 2024 Onsika also questioned Firat’s tactical approach, especially in Kenya’s must-win game against Zimbabwe. Despite needing a victory to keep their qualification hopes alive, Firat named a squad with six midfielders and opted for a defensive strategy throughout the 90 minutes.“Why do we want to defend the whole game instead of just playing football?” the former Harambee Stars striker asked. “To be honest, I’m sick of these tactics. There’s no forward-thinking, just a defensive approach, and you want to win. How can you win a game when you’re playing defensively?”Scout reveals why Kenyan midfielder is linked to Manchester United and BrentfordHe continued, “Our holding and attacking midfield was non-existent. There was no one to support or supply balls to Michael (Olunga) because it seemed like we only wanted to defend and hit them on the counter-attack. But it didn’t work because Zimbabwe knew what we were doing and decided to play deep.”“It’s high time we ask ourselves where we went wrong. When did the rain start beating us? Why are we playing long balls all game long, and they’re not working?”
