Harambee Stars are still reeling from Tuesday night’s 8–0 humiliation in Turkey, but as the dust begins to settle, attention is shifting away from the pitch and onto the decision-making that placed Kenya in the path of one of Africa’s most devastating teams.

The staggering defeat Kenya’s worst in the modern era has triggered an intense debate within football circles.

Beyond the technical shortcomings exposed by the Teranga Lions, many are now asking how a youthful Stars side found itself booked for a match the bench had not anticipated.

Assistant coach Vasili Manousakis had hinted at confusion even before the team left Nairobi, revealing that the original discussions involved friendlies against Comoros and Madagascar. At that point, Senegal were nowhere near the picture.

“It was a nice surprise for us… we don’t know how or who agreed to the fixture,” Manousakis said last week at Kasarani Annex. He explained that plans shifted several times, with Equatorial Guinea confirmed first and Senegal introduced only later in the process.

His remarks, which seemed harmless earlier, now paint a revealing picture of a technical bench that walked into a fixture arranged above their heads and against an opponent far beyond what the squad had been preparing for.

According to Manousakis, the coaches had hoped to use the November window to rotate players and give younger talents more exposure.

Instead, they found themselves staring down a full-strength Senegal side armed with Sadio Mané, Nicolas Jackson, and a cast of Europe-based stars.

What followed was a first half best forgotten: six goals conceded, little cohesion, and a Kenyan defence overwhelmed at every turn. The second half offered no reprieve, with Senegal adding two more to complete the rout.

The heavy loss came just days after Kenya were narrowly beaten 1–0 by Equatorial Guinea, leaving head coach Benni McCarthy with a difficult autopsy as he works toward building a competitive squad for the 2027 AFCON, which Kenya will co-host.

But even as McCarthy calls for patience, murmurs over administrative lapses are growing louder. Fans, pundits, and former players are now demanding clarity on why the team was thrust into a fixture the technical crew never signed off on and whether FKF followed due diligence.

The federation has yet to address the specific issue of who finalized the Senegal matchup, even as its top leadership has issued a public apology and promised reforms in the wake of the result.