The shame of Harambee Stars hosting matches home, away from home

Having secured four points in their opening two group matches, Kenya appear to be in a pole position to qualify for the Morocco showpiece, but they might bottle their qualification chances the way they did in the 2021 Afcon qualifiers after shooting themselves in the foot with some weird decisions including the sacking of head coach Francis Kimanzi.

This will be the third time for Kenya to play their home matches in foreign land this year after staging their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Burundi and Ivory Coast in Malawi in June and their continental qualifiers opener against Zimbabwe in Kampala last week due to lack of Fifa-accredited facilities in the country. Interestingly, Nyayo was approved by Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host continental matches involving Kenya Police v Zamalek (yesterday) and Gor Mahia v Al Ahly (today). 

The decisions have had some implications on Harambee Stars' performance as they have failed to secure maximum points in those matches when a win seemed the only possible outcome to the disappointment of their ever-demanding fans.

Harambee Stars sluggishly dropped four points after drawing against Burundi (1-1) and African champions Ivory Coast (0-0) at Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe in June.

It was a similar situation against the Warriors of Zimbabwe, who looked more comfortable than the hosts and frustrated them to a barren draw in Kampala on September 6. Though Harambee Stars responded in style to secure a historic 2-1 against Namibia on the road, this is a type of a game they could, and should, have won easily if they had the support of the twelfth man either at Kasarani or Nyayo.

Outspoken head coach Engin Firat, who has gone for nine months without pay, couldn’t hide his frustrations after their win over the Brave Warriors in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday.  

“What makes me sad is that we have no support, against Uganda I was told we would have 5,000 fans but I could count how many were there. I am also not okay, if you don't pay the coach for nine months even one dollar, then what do you want? I want people to stop criticising the team,” said Firat

By failing to refurbish and construct stadiums that meet the required standards on time, the fans have not only been deprived their rights to cheer the national team to victory, but also denied a chance to watch some of the top players in the world like Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana brush shoulders with their players.

With Kenya and Cameroon tied on four points, next month’s two-legged tie will play a crucial role in determining Harambee Star’s chances of returning to the continental competition for the first time since 2019. The top two teams from each of the 11 groups, excluding hosts Morocco who are already assured of participation, will earn their spots in the prestigious event.

But it seems no much effort is being put in place by the concerned authorities to ensure the team first wins the psychological war by enjoying a home advantage against the Indomitable Lions even before stepping onto the pitch. This casual handling of the national team's affairs might come back to haunt those responsible if the team fails to secure a ticket to Morocco.