McCarthy's former teammate highlights Harambee Stars' biggest challenge ahead of CHAN quarterfinal
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 21.08.25. | 13:55
The 51-year-old however believes Kenya can neurtalise their opponents by maintaining their patience and discipline
Bafana Bafana legend Mark Fish believes Kenya’s biggest challenge in the African Nations Championships (CHAN) quarter finals will be how they react to “the expectations of the people inside the stadium.”
Fish, who racked 62 appearances for South Africa, and is part of CAF’s Technical Study Group (TSG) for the month-long tournament, is however confident that his countrymate Benni McCarthy will be up to the task, when his Harambee Stars team takes on Madagascar in a 1700 EAT kickoff at the Moi International Sports Centre - Kasarani on Friday, 22 August.
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Speaking to the media during a dedicated Technical Insights Discussions on Wednesday, 51-year-old Fish praised Kenya for having successfully navigated a tough Group A, before casting his eyes forward to their new opponents.
“If I were Kenyan, I would be expecting the Harambee Stars to win the match. After all, they beat DR Congo and Morocco to top a tough Group A,” Fish said. "They [Kenya] can neutralise Madagascar’s stamina by being disciplined and patient.”
The only impediment, however, as per the man who shared a dressing room with McCarthy in the national team, will be to deal with heightened fan expectations.
“The biggest challenge will be the expectations of the people inside the stadium,” Fish said. “On the field, not many things will happen differently. The organization and discipline will be the same, but on the expectations of the people inside the stadium, we will see how the players will react to that.”
Kenya, buoyed by a fervent crowd thus far, is still unbeaten in the championships, having only conceded once.
Fish credited McCarthy for showcasing a “disciplined and patient” brand of football, and said he would be the reason Kenya succeeded in CHAN, ultimately.
“I played with Benni and Moeneeb Josephs [Kenya’s goalkeeper trainer] and I know how they will be in the dressing room,” Fish said. “They will definitely have the players fired up, and it will be an active and busy day out there.”
On McCarthy, he added: “He is a tactical genius; his squad rotation has kept his players fresh, involved, and happy.”
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