‘Disband that team’ - Kenyans disappointed after Senegal hand Harambee Stars deflating defeat
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Reading Time: 4min | Wed. 19.11.25. | 13:30
Fans and indeed Kenyans at large took to various social media platforms, while others spoke directly to Mozzart Sport to share their thoughts on the match, as sampled in this article
Harambee Stars fans were a dejected lot after the Kenya senior men's national football team suffered a humiliating 8-0 defeat to Senegal in a friendly match staged at the Mardan Stadium in Antalya, Turkey on Tuesday, 18 November.
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The Tuesday evening clash was both Kenya’s and Senegal's second and final friendly match of the November international break.
Kenya had suffered a 1-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in their first match of the November international break, while Senegal fell 2-0 to record world champions Brazil.
A hat-trick by former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, a brace by on-loan Bayern Munich star Nicolas Jackson and a goal apiece by Malick Diouf, Ibrahim Mbaye and Cherif Ndiaye were enough to hand Kenya their heaviest defeat since the 9-0 defeat to Zambia in November 1978.
Fans and indeed Kenyans at large took to various social media platforms, while others spoke directly to Mozzart Sport to share their thoughts on the match, as sampled in this article.
“From the match, I believe we have no business having a national football team. To imagine that we travelled all the way to Turkey to concede eight goals makes it more humiliating.
I believe we should just disband the team and start afresh from the youth levels, and be patient. Maybe in a decade's time, we will be ready to compete again,” said Antony Oburu.
Gor Mahia fan Nyamunga Fred Wuod Chief took issue with the commitment of players in the match.
“The 8-0 loss to Senegal is just like a dream to me. Harambee Stars really broke my heart yesterday (Tuesday). We had hope, we had fire, but the performance just crushed the spirit. It hurts because we know they can do better.
That match left many of us frustrated, disappointed, and honestly, heartbroken. The team needs to go through a thorough scrutiny so we can truly understand the real face of Kenya’s football future,” he stated.
Grassroots football development coach Dino Haji, on his part, believed the result exposed fundamental weaknesses of the Harambee Stars set-up.
“Conceding eight goals highlights serious issues in our tactical approach, especially when facing a formidable opponent like the Lions of Teranga.
It calls for an in-depth review of our defensive organisation and overall preparedness to identify weaknesses and improve our resilience,” said Dino Haji.
As for Victor Kiarie, the result signified that Kenya is still far from competing with the best in the world.
“Based on this friendly match, I do not understand what Harambee Stars were trying to do when they were playing in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
We are far from ready to compete in a World Cup. If Senegal handed us such a heavy beating, a place in the World Cup would reduce the pride of the country.
Henceforth, our ambitions should at best be to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations,” posted Kiarie.
Reknowned sports journalist Rodgers Eshitemi, in his assessment, gave a detailed explanation of what went wrong.
“To some extent, Benni McCarthy set himself up. How on earth do you start with your almost second-string team and two inexperienced defenders against a star-studded and wounded Senegal?
By now, he should be having his own regular team, but unfortunately, he remains unpredictable with his ever-changing line-ups, and yesterday he properly paid for it,” he said.
Lack of structures (youth development) came to haunt the national team. Physical/stamina and technical abilities must be developed from a younger age, while incorporating science and technology. There are no shortcuts in football; we have been lying to ourselves for the longest period possible.
It is now time to go back to the basics, invest strongly in the game and do everything right. Structural reforms are needed, right from the grassroots to the national level, with plans put in place to ensure FKFPL becomes vibrant and competitive again,” Eshitemi wrote on his Facebook account.
On Mozzart Sport's senior writer, Kevin Teya’s Facebook page, Jamac Abdilatiff chose to pick positives from the match.
“It was a good test for the boys against a country that plays and dominates the best countries in football. It shows we still have a lot to do. We make mistakes, learn from them, correct our play and perfect our tactics, then we improve with time. Kudos to the boys. We are with you to the end. Heads up.”
Harambee Stars midfielder Kenneth Muguna also weighed in on the matter, blaming it on inexperience.
“I will never be afraid to break the protocol or to speak. After our match against Gambia, fans questioned coach Benni's decision to include experienced players. Now you see why those players are important in the National team set up. Hate or love me, I'll always be real,” Muguna posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
