Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has been told how to make his stint in Kenya successful by a former South African international.
Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has been told to lower some of his expectations and be ready for challenges if he has to make his stint as Kenya national team coach a success.
McCarthy took over the challenge of leading Harambee Stars at the start of this month with fans expecting so much from him and he also set lofty targets, one of them being to take Kenya to the 2026 World Cup.
The former Manchester United attacking coach has already gotten down to work after naming his provisional squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, away to the Gambia and at home to Gabon on March 20 and 23 respectively, with the team already in camp.
His appointment has been received well back home in South Africa and among those happy for him is former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper and ex-Orlando Pirates coach Roger De Sa who has pointed out some of the challenges he is set to face in his new job.
Newly appointed Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy took charge of his first training session ahead of crucial 2026 world cup qualifiers fixtures.
“To get into the national structures is a massive step for Benni because national teams are very special and I am very happy for Benni and that yet another South African is getting this opportunity,” De Sa told South African outlet iDiski Times.
“So, Benni must not expect the Man United training fields or even the Orlando Pirates training field for that matter. He is obviously going to face challenges, and he’s got to be up for it and be ready to face the challenge. He must find the solutions and be ready to tolerate those and make the situation work for him.”
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De Sa further elaborated the challenges his countryman is set to face in the East African nation that he must be ready to cope with.
“Sometimes you pick these players who come from a league in Qatar, for example, where they earn top money and train in top facilities, then they come to Kenya and the field is below par. He has to get around those challenges which are not always just football,” he added.
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Benni McCarthy names a 32-man Harambee Stars squad for crucial World Cup qualifiers against Gambia and Gabon, blending experience and youth.
“The other challenge he is going to have to deal with is that it is different coaching a club and a national team. Your players are in different parts of the world and you have to monitor their progress because it is not just bringing them into camp for training and playing a match.
“You need to know where the players stand and how they are playing because sometimes you need to use him as a left-back, but at his club, they are using him somewhere else.”
McCarthy, a former striker, who played for Ajax Amsterdam, Celta Vigo, FC Porto, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and Orlando Pirates, is South Africa’s leading scorer and his coaching journey also saw him handle Cape Town City and AmaZulu where he performed admirably.
The 47-year-old will hope to impress in the World Cup qualifiers to revive Kenya’s World Cup qualification chances as they are on five points from four matches in a group led by Ivory Coast (10 points), followed by Gabon (nine points) and Burundi (seven points).
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