Benni McCarthy played for FC Porto, Blackburn Rovers in England and was an assistant coach at Manchester United.
The appointment of Benni McCarthy as Harambee Stars coach has been well received by stakeholders and fans alike, even setting targets for the former Champions League winner.
McCarthy is one of the latest high-profile appointments to link up with the Stars in the recent past and weighty expectations have been placed on his broad shoulders.
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FKF Vice-President Macdonald Mariga, who just like McCarthy, won the Champions League trophy with Inter Milan, explained what the South African will bring to Kenyan football and what led to his appointment.
AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has confirmed that the club officially submitted all the paperwork on Tuesday, 5th March 2025, to acquire the land in Kasarani supposed to be used for the building of its stadium.
‘We had a long list of coaches, who wanted to come, but we decided on who was the best to fit in Harambee Stars and we ended looking for someone who has experience in Europe, someone who knows and understands well African football, it was none other than McCarthy,” Mariga told Flashscore.
“If you bring together European experience and African experience, then McCarthy is the best option to take our football forward. McCarthy played in AFCON and was the top scorer, he played for South Africa at the World Cup and Kenya has never played in that stage, he won the Champions League. I think he is the one to help, we are on the right track.”
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How new Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy will manage to convince foreign-based players, including dual-citizens like Linton Maina & Djed Spence, to play for Harambee Stars.
Former Harambee Stars striker Allan Wanga said that McCarthy’s proven track record is extra motivation for the Stars. He added that McCarthy will help bring out the best from Kenya’s floundering striking force that has been nothing short of a huge disappointment in the past.
Harambee Stars have been reliant on Al Duhail striker Michael Olunga, who doubles up as the Stars captain and his impact has been felt whenever he fails to make the matchday squad.
“I believe in coach McCarthy because he has a proven track record and he is a great addition to the national team. He was a striker just like me and during his stint at Manchester United as assistant coach, the strikers were in good form, so it’s a big plus for our strikers too. In the previous instances, we had coaches whose football careers weren’t even known but with him, we know his previous teams, this is a big step for us,” Wanga observed.
McCarthy’s first assignment will be the World Cup qualifying matches against the Gambia away on March 17th, and the home game against Gabon on March 24th. However, he finds Kenya sitting fourth in Group F with five points, five less than leaders Ivory Coast, while Gabon are second with nine points and Burundi third with seven points.