‘It makes our job difficult’ - Firat gutted by Kenya playing home matches in Malawi

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) had no option but to get an alternative venue following the decision by the Kenyan government to close down two main stadiums in the East African country - Kasarani Sports Complex and Nyayo National Stadium - for renovation works ahead of co-hosting the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN) and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

While most Kenyans had hoped for FKF to secure a venue in the neighbouring countries – Tanzania or Uganda - for easy access, the Federation announced on Tuesday they had booked Bingu National Stadium for the matchday three and four fixtures.

The Harambee Stars will first face the Swallows on June 8th, 2024, before hosting the Elephants, who are the AFCON champions, three days later.

It is a big disappointment for Kenya

Speaking for the first time over the matter, Firat, who arrived from Turkey on Thursday in readiness to start preparations for the qualifiers, said he was gutted to see the matches getting a venue outside the country.

“It is no secret, it is a big disappointment, very disappointing for us because we play nearly one year only away, no more than one year only away, and it is tough to play always on different places to be travelling all the time to have never found support (from our fans) and these are always difficult situations for us,” Firat told Flashscore in an exclusive interview.

The last time Kenya played in Nairobi in front of their fans was on September 12th, 2023, a friendly fixture they lost 1-0 against South Sudan. The last time they played a qualifier at home, was during their second-round Group E fixture of the World Cup when they beat Rwanda’s Amavubi 2-1 at Nyayo Stadium on November 15th, 2021.

Striker and captain Michael Olunga, who features for Al Duhail SC in the Qatar Stars League, scored the opener for Kenya in the game before midfielder Richard Odada, who plays for Danish 1st Division side AaB, on loan from the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS), converted the second from the penalty spot. Olivier Niyonzima pulled a goal back for Amavubi.

Firat admitted he was optimistic Kenya could play Burundi and Ivory Coast in their backyard and was shocked by the turn of events. “We were hoping very much to play these two matches in June at home with the support of our fans to have a good atmosphere in the stadium with our fans at home, you know everybody thought it was possible, but I was if you remember from my previous press conference sceptical about it and now you see it doesn’t work,” explained Firat.

Firat, who recently won a Four-Nation tournament with Kenya in Malawi that was played at the same venue - Bingu Stadium - further bemoaned the fact Tanzania and Uganda were able to play their matches at their backyard while Kenya was still playing home matches away from home.

“It is disappointing because our neighbours like Uganda and Tanzania, who are close (to us in the East African region) and playing in AFCON qualifiers can afford to play their respective home matches at home and these make our job more difficult, more difficult but there is nothing me and my players can do but to focus and do a good job in the two matches,” added Firat, who took charge of the team on October 7th, 2021 after replacing fired Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee.

Asked about his trip to Turkey, Firat said he was on a mission to check on some of the Kenyan players plying their trades abroad but could not divulge more details about the players he visited. “I was outside the country to check out on some foreign players, who are available for the national team,” concluded Firat.

Firat to name squad on Saturday

According to FKF President Nick Mwendwa, coach Firat will name the provisional team on Saturday before Harambee Stars departs for Malawi on June 1st, 2024.

“The team will start training this weekend and our trip to Malawi will be on June 1st, we want to accord the team the support they require to perform, we know playing away from home is always not easy but we didn’t have an option to solve the situation, for now, we can only work with what we have,” Mwendwa told Flashscore.

On Wednesday, former FKF President Sam Nyamweya led stakeholders to condemn the decision further putting the blame squarely on the current regime for not doing enough to have the matches played on home soil. “The decision by the FKF to host home matches in Malawi has not only sparked disappointment and criticism among fans and stakeholders but also portrayed the federation as clueless,” Nyamweya told Flashscore.

“Moving home matches to another country will have severe implications, both on the team’s performance and the perception of the federation itself. Why was the Federation for all this time misadvising the government to close all the national pitches Nyayo Stadium and Kasarani for renovations?”

Nyamweya further laid down the disadvantages of playing home games away from home by saying: “Hosting home matches in Malawi has several implications. Firstly, it affects the morale and support of the home team as they lose the advantage of playing in front of their fans on familiar turf. This could impact their performance on the field.

“Secondly, it reflects poorly on the federation’s ability to manage local affairs and provide a conducive environment for football development. It will also lead to loss of credibility and trust among fans and stakeholders.”