The South Africa legend and former Manchester United coach was humiliated with his East African team against the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations champions, the Lions of Teranga, in an international outing staged in Turkey. It was a wake-up call for the 48-year-old who is expected to be at the helm when the country host the 2027 biennial competition.
The South African legend is in the headlines for grim reasons after overseeing what is now the worst result of his coaching career. The humbling defeat to the Teranga Lions has intensified scrutiny on him and left the former FC Porto forward facing a massive task of managing and repairing a dented reputation. Also pressing is the need to regain the trust of the Kenyan football public.
Kenya were initially set to face Madagascar and Comoros, but that was later changed, and Equatorial Guinea and Senegal were lined up as their opponents during the international break. After the defeat, the South African legend is expected to receive more criticism, especially after dropping the team's captain, Michael Olunga. Kenya will now dust themselves off before their next game against Senegal on Tuesday.
The Bafana Bafana legend has been Harambee Stars coach since March 2025 and his biggest task is building a squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals to be co-hosted by three East African countries. This is his first-ever job as a national team coach and he would want to make a huge impact.
Harambee Stars only managed a slim win, even though, they faced a side numerically disadvantaged for the better part of the game. Burundi had to face Kenya without their striker, who was sent off just as the game began for a dangerous tackle on his opponent.
Kenya
