Harambee Stars wary of Warriors
KENYA senior football team coach Engin Firat is keeping his eyes open to the threat posed by Zimbabwe in the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The teams were placed in Group J, which, also includes five-time African champions Cameroon and the Warriors’ COSAFA foes Namibia.
Despite the Warriors being the least ranked in the group as well as Kenya’s recent victories against the Zimbabweans in the Four Nations tournament and at the COSAFA Cup, Firat told Kenyan news outlet Pulse Sports that Zimbabwe are not to be underestimated.
The two nations are expected to clash in the opening fixture in September.
First explained why he singled out the Warriors to be tricky opponents.
“We are in a tough group, especially Zimbabwe. They are only in pot four because they dropped down during the ban, but if you look at the quality of their players, most of them are playing in big leagues, such as the Turkish Super League,” he said.
Zimbabwe and Kenya are returning to the Nations Cup qualifying campaign after missing the 2023 edition due to FIFA suspensions.
The two countries were banned from international competitions and events for third-party interference.
But Firat is not blind to the quality in the Warriors ranks, despite the team recently plunging to 129th on the FIFA global rankings and 38th in Africa.
Firat picked out several Zimbabwean players who are making a significant impact in European leagues.
These include French-based vice-captain Marshall Munetsi.
“Marshall Munetsi is playing in France, and Jordan Zemura is playing in Italy’s Serie A.
“There are players in Ligue 1 and even players like Tino Kadewere. Others are playing in England, such as Leon Chiwome, who is in the Premier League with Wolves.
“They have some good players. Of course, people who don’t look at this do not realise how strong they are.
“The other teams, you know the quality of their squads. It will not be easy, but for us, it will not change anything.
“We want to face every team the same way. We will do our best to succeed as soon as possible. The good thing about our team is we have now played many matches away from home, so we are not afraid of anyone,” said Firat.
ZIFA Technical Director Jethro Hunidzarira told Zimpapers Sports that preparations for the upcoming qualifiers would have to start early.
Before the suspension, Zimbabwe had qualified for the previous three consecutive AFCON finals in 2017, 2019, and 2021.
Five-time African champions Cameroon are the favourites to top the group on paper but Namibia will not be pushovers after their impressive run at the 2023 AFCON when they made it to the Round of 16 for the first time in their history.