Benni McCarthy emerges as potential candidate for African National Team role
Former Manchester United first-team coach Benni McCarthy has emerged as a potential candidate for a head coaching role with an African National Team.
McCarthy, who is currently assessing his options, has been unattached after a successful stint as a striker coach under Erik Ten Hag at Man United in the Premier League.
The Bafana Bafana legend parted ways with ‘The Red Devils’ before the start of the current season, having played a crucial role in their 2022/23 Carabao Cup and FA Cup victories.
Prior to his Manchester United stint, McCarthy had successful coaching spells in the SA elite league. He guided Cape Town City FC to the MTN8 title in 2018 and led AmaZulu FC to a surprising second-place finish in the league in 2021. As a result, ‘Usuthu’ also qualified to compete in the CAF Champions League
But, the following season, AmaZulu struggled to maintain their form, juggling the demands of the Premiership and the CAF Champions League. This ultimately led to McCarthy’s dismissal.
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While he is open to returning to SA football, McCarthy has set his sights higher. “My mindset is elsewhere,” he stated recently. “But I’m not closing any doors to coming back home or anywhere else in Africa. But my ambitions are extremely high. The MLS, the Premier League, La Liga, the Portuguese League, that’s where I’m looking to go next.”
McCarthy has already engaged in discussions with three MSL clubs. However, he is reportedly set to take over as the head coach of the Kenyan National Team in January 2025.
“Benni’s name has been whispered at high levels over the past month. The Kenya FA office holds him in high regard,” a source told FARPost.
This development comes after the resignation of Engin Firat earlier this month following The Harambee Stars’ failure to qualify for the 2025 AFCON set to be staged in Morocco.
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Firat attributed Kenya’s failure to qualify to the country’s football federation’s disorganisation, citing inadequate infrastructure as a major hindrance.
The lack of a CAF-certified stadium has forced Kenya to play home matches in other countries, such as Uganda. Furthermore, Firat emphasised the lack of proper training facilities, which he says significantly impacts the team’s preparation and performance.
“In Kenya, it’s only what we want. By giving what? In three years, we have never played a match at home [in Kenya]; show me another nation that has gone through that,” he lamented. “We have no fans, nothing, we have no support. We don’t even have a training field in Kenya. Show me one training field.
“As long as we don’t solve these problems, what would you want to do? Do we change something, federation change? Coach change? What will change at the end? Nothing. There is no reason why the national team did not qualify for the last two AFCONs.”
The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
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