The Kenya national team appoint Turkish tactician Ergin Firat for 2 months. He is tasked with World Cup qualification.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has appointed Turkish manager Engin Firat as the new Harambee Stars head coach on a 2-month deal.

FKF president Nick Mwendwa made it clear why they decided on the 51-year-old boss, who has experience with Eintracht Frankfurt and Fenerbahçe when explaining the appointment from a Nairobi hotel on Sunday. 

“I am bringing the coach at a time when Kenya are competing for a World Cup ticket, and as you know, we stand second in the group and we have a clear chance to compete well in this group. Firat has the experience to handle the team since he is a top coach”, he said.

Firat’s 1st big challenge will be to help Kenya win their first 2022 World Cup qualifier, after draws against Uganda and Rwanda in the first 2 games. Kenyan fans will also want to see whether the Turkish manager will use high-profile stars like Victor Wanyama, Ayub Timbe, Jesse Were, and Johanna Omollo, as these players weren’t selected by Mulee.

Mulee instigated a restructuring process in the national team that saw players like Lawrence Juma, Kenneth Muguna, Abdallah Hassan, and Daniel Sakari become key men for the Harambee Stars.

Although these players were selected for good performances with their local sides, they never disappointed whilst appearing in Harambee Stars’ shirts either.

Firat has worked with a total of 18 teams, both clubs, and national teams. Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany and Fenerbahce of Turkey where he worked as an assistant manager in the 2002/03 season are the most high-profile jobs he has on his C.V.

His 1st competitive game in charge will be the World Cup qualifier against Mali on October the 6th!