Kenya’s Harambee Stars assistant coach, Vasili Manousakis, expressed his surprise at the team’s humiliating 8-0 defeat to Senegal in a friendly match held in Turkey.
“It was a nice surprise for us. We don’t know how or who agreed to the fixture against Senegal, as we were initially discussing matches against Comoros and Madagascar instead. We’re not quite sure how this happened, but it did,” said Vasili.
From the start of the match, it was evident that Senegal was ready to assert their dominance. They opened the scoring in the 8th minute with a stunning goal following relentless pressure on the Kenyan defense.
The result has raised questions among Kenya fans about the commitment level of the technical bench led by South African coach Benedict Saul McCarthy (Benni McCarthy). The overwhelming defeat has sparked widespread disappointment across the nation, prompting Hussein Mohammed, president of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), to publicly apologize to Kenyans and promise immediate reforms.
“This result is a wake-up call,” Mohammed stated after the match. “Today is a very bad day in the office. To compete with the best in the world, we must invest in a professional and highly capable technical team and implement robust player development programs.”
His deputy, McDonald Mariga, also released a statement regarding the defeat.
“The loss to Senegal is painful; there are no excuses,” he said. “It’s a harsh lesson on what top-level football demands. We take responsibility, learn from our mistakes, and will come back stronger. We’re not hiding, we’re not blaming anyone, and we’re not giving up. To the fans, thank you for sticking with us even on days like this.”
“To the players, let this serve as motivation. To the team, this is a wake-up call. Harambee Stars will bounce back stronger, better, and more prepared for the level we aim to compete at,” he affirmed.
The 8-0 defeat against Senegal will go down in history as one of the worst scorelines in Kenya’s national football team history.
