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Firat has torn into the Kenyan media for failing to expound the magnitude of Harambee Stars beating Qatar.
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has torn into the Kenyan media for failing to look beyond East African football.
Stars took part in international friendly matches against Iran, Qatar and Russia this year, a historic achievement considering that they had barely played matches overseas before, and did well, narrowly losing to Iran, but beating Qatar and forcing a draw with Russia.
Amos Nondi scored the winner in stoppage time to send Kenya into delirium, after the side played very convincingly with an emphasis on punishing the 2022 World Cup hosts with quick passing and movement.
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Speaking to Radio Jambo on Saturday morning, Firat has also torn into the media for failing to understand the magnitude of beating Qatar, claiming that they fail to look beyond East Africa when gauging the strengths of their football
“I learnt one thing in this period for myself which I had problems to understand at first,” Firat said.
“I understood that the world here in Kenya is focused on East Africa, Uganda, Tanzania. What is happening here this is all your life. You compare yourself only to them but you don’t see that this (isn’t) the only world, so you have to open your eyes.
“For me it was shocking. For example, we played Qatar, they are the champions of Asia, what is so difficult to understand about it? So what is so difficult to understand that Kenya went there and won in Doha?
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“It was a big shock for all of the Middle East. I checked in the past that you played Kuwait and lost 5-0 and it is only a small team in Asia.
“Just to make it clear, Qatar played their first qualifier after us and won 8-0 and after that 8-1, and then after that beat India away 3-0, and you played against them and lost 3-0, to show how big they are.
“You come back and nobody cares! I even saw something that a coach showed me somewhere that Kenya beat a team from the Middle East and I was confused, and that is when I understood that in your world, you compare yourselves only with East Africa and don’t see the rest!
Firat has claimed that the Kenyan media fail to look beyond East Africa when gauging the strengths of their football , claiming Iranians were shocked Kenya did well to hold them to just a 2-1 loss after not taking part in international football for over a year.
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“Here the people do not understand who we played. We played Iran, Qatar, Russia and we played away and not at home.
“Everybody forgets this (we had just come from a fan). Even the coach of Iran asked me,’How did you make it? 500 days without a match, you come like this?’
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