All about Qatari player who ‘fought’ Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu
Harambee Stars may have pulled off a shocking 2-1 victory over hosts Qatar in an international friendly match on Thursday night at the Al-Janoubi Stadium, but the win was marred by a mass scuffle at the end of the match.
The win came courtesy of a late strike by substitute Amos Nondi after skipper Michael Olunga had done all the hard work in a swift counter-attack.
Earlier in the first half, France-based defender Joseph Okumu had given Stars the lead before skipper Hassan Al Haydos restored parity for the hosts from the penalty spot.
Then late drama unfolded after Kenya grabbed the lead yet again in stoppage time, with Qatar making a loud shout for a penalty as forward Pedro went down inside the box from a challenge by Eric Ouma. But the referee waved play on and Kenya survived.
Shortly, the referee blew the final and tempers flared up. Qatar’s Hassan Akram Afif and Okumu were right in the middle of it as they squared up to each other. In the heat of the moment, Okumu shoved off Afif but the latter charged right back at the Kenyan defender.
It took players from both teams to calm down the situation with an agitated Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat also getting involved.
But who is this ‘troublesome’ Hassan Akram Afif?
Hassan Akram Afif Yahya was born in November 1996 to a Tanzanian-born Somali father and Yemeni mother. While in Tanzania, his father coached top side Simba FC before he moved to Somalia where he played for Horseed and the Somali national team. He then moved to Doha, Qatar, where he played for Al Ittihad and Afif Akram was then born.
Afif honed his career with several youth teams, including Spain’s Sevilla and Villarreal (on loan) between 2004 and 2015. His senior career began in 2015 when he to Spain on an exchange programme and he played for several teams including Eupen, Villarreal and Sporting Gijon.
At the end of the exchange programme, he returned home where he joined Qatar’s Al Sadd. His international career then took off in 2014. He played for the Qatar’s under-19, under-20 and under-23 teams before he was called up to the senior national team. He has been playing for the national team since then. The forward has won 51 caps for the Qatar national team.