Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has asked the government to provide a chartered plane when the team travels to Cameroon in October to face the indomitable Lions in a 2025 AFCON Qualifier.
Firat cited the extended distance from Nairobi to the match venue as the main reason the team needed a chartered plane. Provisionally, Cameroon has decided to play the game in a remote town, Garoua, instead of Yaounde, which is more easily accessible.
Garoua is a port city on the Benue River and the capital of the Camero0n North region. It is home to the 30,000-capacity Roumde Adjia Stadium, which is earmarked to host the AFCON qualifier between Harambee Stars and Cameroon.
Harambee Stars has to land in Yaounde before proceeding to Garoua, as there are no direct flights. The distance between Garoua and Yaounde is 639km via flight, while the distance on the road is 941km.
What Firat Said
Firat is wary that this long distance might wear on his players, adversely affecting the result in the match against Cameroon.
“The government must help us with a chartered flight; otherwise, the players will be too tired to get any result from the game. I ask the Ministry of Sports to help us with a chartered flight for such games,” Firat told Flashscore.
“We have this situation: Cameroon will not play in Yaounde or Doula, so they will play somewhere inside (remote area), which means there is no direct flight to enter. If you don’t have a chartered flight, it will be a big nightmare to arrive there and another nightmare when trying to go back from there.”
He highlighted why it was prudent for the government to chip in and charter a plan for the national team during the trip. “You have no chance to play these matches in such situations. If you have to go, I don’t know three stops (before reaching your destination), and you have to wait I don’t know in every stop how many hours before proceeding with the journey; it will be a difficult situation for my players, and that is for sure.”
Firat’s Salary
The former Moldova coach has not been paid for the last nine months and has not been shy about mentioning it in the glare of cameras.
“I can’t continue to count the success of these boys. Whenever you have many wins outside Kenya, and if people cannot realise and appreciate it, I don’t have anything to say. The problem is people talk negatively about the team, forgetting the team is on the rise. If you don’t pay the coach for nine months but still keep talking negatively about the team, it hurts me,” he said when addressing his thoughts about facing Cameroon.
This was the second time Firat had spoken about nonpayment, the first being in May when he termed it a ‘temporary issue’.
“When I mentioned sacrifices before, I meant that it’s only a temporary issue, lasting just five months. We face many problems, but we don’t publicise our struggles; instead, we fight for the country and choose not to share our problems externally,” Firat told the media.
“There are indeed real delays, and that’s a fact. However, I don’t dwell on them. My focus is on achieving results and bringing joy to the nation.”
Firat said Kenya is among the countries in Africa with the worst football conditions, yet he and the players continue to strive for good results. The 54-year-old Turkish coach lamented not being paid a salary for nine months. https://t.co/mBmB1ARv7w
— Nation Africa (@NationAfrica) September 12, 2024
What Mwendwa Said
FKF President Nick Mwendwa confirmed Firat’s assertions, claiming that the ministry hasn’t cooperated in sorting his salary issues.
“Yes, it is true. Firat is owed nine months’ salary; that is the situation; the government, through the Ministry of Sports, has yet to pay him,” Mwendwa said while speaking to Flashscore.
“We have written many times to the Ministry of Sports for several months, trying to find out why they have never paid the coach despite committing in writing to do so when he took charge of the team, but we never get replies. There is no response from the Ministry, and we don’t know what is the problem.”
He added that he is wary of sanctions if the coach reports the Federation to FIFA and hopes the issue will be sorted before things move that far.
“It is worrying, of course, because if it goes on (the non-payment issue), he may move to sue, but we hope we will have solved the problem before that happens,” Mwendwa added.
Harambee Stars AFCON Qualifiers Table
Harambee Stars top group J with 4 points garnered after drawing with Zimbabwe 0-0 at the Nelson Mandela Stadium, Uganda, on 6 September and beating Namibia 2-1 at the Orlando Stadium four days later.
John Avire opened the scoring against Namibia with a well-taken free-kick before Duke Abuya added another after coming at the end of Eric Ouma’s cross in a beautifully executed counterattack. Deon Hotto pulled one back for the Brave Warriors in stoppage time.
Cameroon, who sit second, won against Namibia and drew against Zimbabwe, bringing their tally to 4 points. They trail Kenya for scoring fewer goals with everything tied.
2025 AFCON Qualifiers Table
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kenya | 21 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 28 | 23 | 5 | 31 |
| 2 | KCB | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 17 |
| 3 | K Sharks | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| 4 | Mara Sugar | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
Harambee Stars last met Cameroon in 2010 in a friendly match played at Kasarani Stadium, with the Indomitable Lions winning 3-1. Achille Emana Edzimbi, Paul Webo and Muhammad Mohammadou Idrissou were on target for Cameroon, while James Situma scored the consolation for Kenya.
Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat warned Cameroon sternly, saying that his side isn’t afraid of the 2017 AFCON Champions.
“Do you think Kenya is an easy team? Cameroon should think about how they want to crack Kenya, we are not afraid of Cameroon, you saw the boys, how they played before against Ivory Coast, against Russia, against Qatar.
“If you have the boys together, they are very united and believe in each other. We are on our way. Let us face the reality of what the boys have done this year; they are unbeaten this year, they have won a Cup (Four-Nation tournament) outside Kenya, we have scored ten goals from the last six matches, and we have never won in Namibia, but we have won now,” he said.
The first leg will be played on October 10, while the return leg is scheduled for October 15, 2024, in Uganda.
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Table
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ivory Coast | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 10 |
| 2 |  Gabon | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 |  Burundi | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | Kenya | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 |  Gambia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 |  Seychelles | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 22 | -20 | 0 |