South African football legend Benni McCarthy has been unveiled as the new head coach of Kenya’s national men’s football team, the Harambee Stars.
The 47-year old has penned a contract that takes him through to the 2027 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which Kenya will co-host with neighbors Uganda and Tanzania.
McCarthy, whose last work station was with English Premier League side Manchester United as the attack coach, was unveiled by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) on Monday evening.
“I am delighted to be here, and I proud to have taken this challenge with a national team which has a lot of potential,” McCarthy said as he was unveiled.
FKF president Hussein Mohammed believes that McCarthy is the perfect replacement for Engin Firat who resigned late last year.
“We are confident that Benni is the right person to lead our national team forward. His experience, vision, and commitment to developing Kenyan football align perfectly with our ambitions. We had a long list of coaches who were interested but when we looked at what he brings to the table, we were convinced it was a right decision,” Hussein said.
The tactician comes in straight to work, with Kenya set to face Gambia away and host Gabon this month in the next two rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The tactician is also eyeing a perfect performance for the Harambee Stars at the TotalEnergies Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in August.
“It is possible to win the two games and collect six points and then we can see where that takes us,” McCarthy said concerning the World Cup qualifiers. He adds; “We just need to change the mentality of the players and not give up home. This campaign can be successful and anything is possible. We will work hard with the players and staff and we look at possibly finishing the group in the top two.”
On his preliminary ambitions for CHAN, McCarthy said; “As hosts, we definitely want to give a good account of ourselves and do everything we can as a team to make Kenyans proud. The target for the CHAN and the AFCON in 2027 is of course to see the team play at the latter stages whether it’s the semis or even the final. With hard work, it is possible.”
The Bafana Bafana legend has previously coached Amazulu and Cape Town City in his native South Africa, taking the former to the group stages of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League for the first time ever.
As a player, McCarthy was a decorated striker, and was the joint top scorer at the 1998 AFCON. At club level, he won the UEFA Champions League with FC Porto and also had a fabled career with Blackburn Rovers and West Ham in England before finishing his playing career at home with Orlando Pirates in 2013.
He comes in for his first national team managerial job and will be joined by familiar faces, Vasili Manousakis as Assistant Coach, Moeneeb Josephs as Goalkeepers Coach, and Pilela Maposa as Performance Analyst.
SOURCE: CAF ONLINE
