Harambee Stars National Team coach Benni McCarthy has made a bold statement to Kenyans regarding the final squad picked for the upcoming CAF CHAN tournament.
Kenya will make their debut in the competition, courtesy of its role as one of three co-hosts. They will host alongside East African neighbours Uganda and Tanzania. The tournament is set to commence on August 2, 2025, and will run until August 30, 2025.
McCarthy has named a 30-man provisional squad for the Harambee Stars. During an official welcome by Cabinet member Salim Mvurya and Football Kenya Federation president Hussein Mohammed on Thursday, McCarthy said he had full confidence in his squad.
BENNI MACRTHY BACKS HIS TEAM SELECTION FOR THE CHAN TOURNAMENT
“You can’t please everyone, you know. I’m not here to please people,” McCarthy told Journalists. “I’m here to bring success to this country, and the players that we have selected are the players that we have seen and have had in camp.
“They were just unfortunate that when you go and play World Cup qualifiers, international players come, so you can’t select everyone,” he added.
HARAMBEE STARS COACH IMPRESSED WITH QUALITIES FROM LOCAL PLAYERS
“So now it’s based on a local camp. Those are the players you have seen and their qualities. You risk taking someone based on a couple of games or knowing what you are going to have when you have seen players.
“We know that not everybody is going to be happy with how the team is selected, but not everyone has been where I have been. So I have an eye, I know talent, and I have seen the players that I have selected.”
McCarthy and his troops will open their campaign against DR Congo on 3 August. They are in the same group as Angola, Zambia, Morocco and DR Congo.
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