Kenya and Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat admitted to being frustrated with officiating after their 1-1 draw against Burundi in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match on Friday.
After a 0-0 result at the half-time break, Kenya broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute when substitute Duke Abuya hit the back of the net off a cross from Austin Odhiambo. However, Kenya failed to hold onto the lead as the Swallows levelled matters in the 85th-minute courtesy of Abdallah Sudi.
Speaking during the post-match interview, Firat said: “The first 15 minutes, we didn’t start like I wanted. Afterwards, we started our passing game and created goal chances. I cannot say I’m happy with the referee because they did everything to stop the game. Every ball, every free kick against us, every set piece took two or three minutes to restart.
“It was not possible to maintain any tempo in this game. In the second half, we pushed more. We scored in the end, but we should have scored earlier. It’s a problem if you don’t score the second goal because this kind of crazy goal can happen.”
