Kenya’s head coach, Engin Firat, has expressed frustration over the requirement for his team to participate in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers, despite Kenya’s role as co-host of the 2024 tournament alongside Tanzania and Uganda. Firat believes these matches are pointless for his players, posing unnecessary risks without meaningful benefits.
Kenya’s CHAN journey began with a 2-0 loss to South Sudan in the first leg of their opening qualifying round.
They will face the Bright Stars again in the second leg this Friday, with the aggregate winner advancing to the next round of qualifiers.
However, Firat questions the need to participate in such qualifiers at all, arguing that it serves no purpose for his team or the players.
“It does not make sense for me, especially if you know these are professional players who are used to playing for something but now, they have nothing to play for,” Firat said, voicing his dissatisfaction with the current format.
The Turkish coach stressed the psychological impact this has on players, who are accustomed to competing for meaningful goals and may now be reluctant to give their all for fear of injury.
According to Firat, the lack of a tangible objective in these qualifiers could negatively impact the players’ morale and performance.
This is not something little; it is the most important thing in sport—to have something to play [for],” he emphasized.
He explained that players are more likely to hold back, conscious of the upcoming CHAN tournament they will host, which offers them a more substantial opportunity to showcase their skills.
The Kenyan coach further highlighted the potential for injuries in what he perceives as unnecessary matches, which could jeopardize players’ readiness for more important competitions. “You know you have a match at the weekend, so you don’t want to get injured,” Firat explained. “So everything affects you. Therefore, these kinds of matches do not make sense for me.
I cannot say the players benefited—how? I do not understand.”
The 2024 CHAN tournament, reserved for African players competing in their national leagues, will be a significant prelude to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will also co-host.
Firat’s criticism centers on the challenges posed by having to navigate a qualification process for a tournament in which Kenya already holds a guaranteed place as co-host.
The CHAN qualifiers, designed to allow teams to prove their capabilities for tournament entry, put Kenya in the unique position of playing for a qualification spot it does not need.
Firat’s concerns reflect a broader question about the format and purpose of these qualifiers for host countries, as his team now faces a second leg against South Sudan on Friday with little at stake for their tournament aspirations.
The debate over Kenya’s participation in these qualifiers brings to light the complexities faced by teams already assured of their place in tournaments but still required to complete qualification rounds.
Firat’s candid comments suggest a call for reconsidering the approach for co-host nations, emphasizing that his primary focus is on preparing Kenya for CHAN 2024, not on meeting arbitrary qualifying requirements.
