Akumu opens up on pain of missing out on 2025 AFCON

by Staff Reporter

Saturday Apr 05, 2025. 13:00

Kenya midfielder Anthony Akumu recently shared that missing out on qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations left him “in tears”.

Akumu was part of the team that was coached by former Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat, that failed to qualify for the tournament in a group that had Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The pain for the player goes even deeper, as he was part of the group that qualified for the 2019 edition, but he was omitted from the final squad for the finals.

“I had really wanted to qualify because in 2019, I narrowly missed out on the final squad,” Akumu said as per Telecomasia.net.

“It was painful not to make the cut and missing out on qualification for this year’s tournament was even more painful.

“I cried after the Zimbabwe match because I had really wanted us to qualify and it meant a lot for me. It was tough to take for the team because we knew we had a chance to do so.”

Akumu hopes the lessons learned from the disappointing 2019 AFCON, hosted by Egypt, will help ensure a successful tournament when Kenya co-hosts in 2027.

Recently called up by new coach Benni McCarthy for the World Cup qualifiers, Akumu aims to secure regular playing time at his club in Iran to maintain his place in the national team.