McCarthy responds to speculations surrounding his Harambee Stars future
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Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 16.03.26. | 19:14
McCarthy’s first assignment of 2026 will come during the upcoming FIFA Series tournament set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda later this month.
Despite recently admitting that he misses the intensity of day-to-day club coaching, Benni McCarthy has reaffirmed his commitment to the Kenya national football team, insisting he remains fully focused on the long-term project of preparing the team for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
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The Harambee Stars head coach recently sparked speculation about his future after speaking candidly about the challenges of international football, where managers only work with players during limited international windows.
McCarthy admitted that the lack of daily interaction with players is something he finds challenging, especially after years of working in club environments where training and tactical development happen continuously.
“My ambition is to go back and manage a club. I want to do this every day. I want to be with the players every day. At international level, you do not get that,” he said.
Those comments triggered murmurs that the South African tactician could be considering an early exit from the Kenyan national football team setup.
However, McCarthy has since moved to calm those concerns by reiterating his belief in the project he was brought in to lead, building a competitive Kenyan side ahead of the 2027 AFCON tournament that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Reflecting on his decision to accept the Harambee Stars job, McCarthy explained that although the opportunity arrived sooner than he expected after leaving his role at Manchester United, he felt it was the right step in his managerial journey.
“It kind of came a little bit too quickly, but I think it was the right time. You know, I got an opportunity after my experience at Man United, working there and then came back.
Then Kenya came calling, and their journey and the project that they have was for AFCON 2027,” McCarthy said in an interview with SuperSport.
The South Africa all-time leading top scorer also acknowledged that Kenya may not currently boast the biggest names in African football.
Nevertheless, he sees the situation as an opportunity to develop emerging talent and reshape perceptions about Kenyan and East African football on the continental stage.
“So yeah, you know, I played in the AFCON, a few AFCONs, and to have an opportunity to coach a national team, a young national team like Kenya, not glamorous, not glitter, but just pure young talent, bringing talent through and trying to change the mindset and the landscape of how Kenyan football, East African football is perceived, I can change it,” he added.
McCarthy further revealed that the scale of the challenge is exactly what motivated him to take on the role, noting that proving doubters wrong has always been part of his competitive mindset.
“Then I like a challenge, you know, sometimes you like to say because it's low cost for me, I’m like okay, let me show you quickly, low cost. I like those kinds of challenges, and not that it's anything personal, I want to just prove people wrong.”
McCarthy’s first assignment of 2026 will come during the upcoming FIFA Series tournament set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, later this month.
Kenya will face Estonia national football team on Friday, 27 March, before meeting either Grenada or the Rwanda national football team on Monday, 30 March, in their second match of the mini-tournament.
The Harambee Stars coach has already named his squad for the competition and has recently been part of a Kenyan delegation touring Europe to persuade players with Kenyan heritage to commit their international futures to the national team as preparations for AFCON 2027 gather momentum.
