Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga has expressed his disappointment following Kenya's failure to secure a spot in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Stars were eliminated after finishing third in their group, with their campaign ending in a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane City.
In an interview, Olunga admitted that the team is struggling to come to terms with the outcome.
"It is a difficult moment for all of us to process at this time. We are all disappointed that we could not finish on a high despite trying our best," he said.
The forward emphasised the need for reflection rather than blame, pointing to a collective responsibility across the players, management, and technical bench.
"This is not the time to apportion blame but to reflect and identify where we went wrong to ensure future assignments don't end in disappointment like this," Olunga remarked. Olunga pinpointed the team's back-to-back losses to Cameroon as the decisive moment in their qualifying journey.
"If you look at our group, we only lost two matches back-to-back, and that was against Cameroon. Though Cameroon were the clear favourites, had we picked one point against them, we would have had a realistic chance of qualifying," he explained.
Meanwhile, Former Kenyan international Elijah Onsika has launched a scathing critique of Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat following Kenya's failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
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Onsika, a revered figure in Kenyan football, blamed Firat for the team's disappointing campaign, citing poor tactical choices, inconsistent squad selection, and a lack of hunger from the players.
Speaking after the match Onsika expressed his frustration with Firat's approach, particularly during the crucial opening group matches.
"We have seen enough of this coach (Firat), I don't know what else FKF, who hired him, want to see beyond what we have seen," said Onsika told Flashscore.
"It is time they cracked the whip and sent him packing. He has failed us, he has failed the country, and the longer he continues to stay, the tougher it will get for those Kenyans yawning for positive results from Harambee Stars."
Onsika's remarks come in the wake of Kenya's disappointing campaign, which started with a promising 2-1 win against Namibia and a draw with Zimbabwe but spiralled into back-to-back losses to Cameroon -- PulseSports.
