Why AFC Leopards legend is unhappy with Benni McCarthy's squad for March FIFA Series
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 17.03.26. | 13:28
On 13 March, the South African legend unveiled a 23-man squad for the upcoming FIFA Series set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda between March 23 and March 31 during the 2026 FIFA international window
Kenya national team head coach Benni McCarthy has once again come under heavy criticism over his selection criteria for the Harambee Stars squad.
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On 13 March, the South African legend unveiled a 23-man squad for the upcoming FIFA Series set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, between 23 March and 31 March.
Among the notable inclusions is Clarke Oduor, who returns to the national team fold after a lengthy absence.
Meanwhile, Zak Vyner and Zech Obiero will hope to make their Harambee Stars debuts during the series.
However, the squad selection has sparked debate among Kenyan football fans and stakeholders.
AFC Leopards legend Reginald Asibwa and Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula have openly criticised the coach’s choices.
Both Asibwa and Shimanyula believe the selection process overlooked several deserving players.
“I don’t understand the rationale of calling a player who is unattached, especially when his match fitness is questionable after training alone or with a personal coach,” Asibwa told Flashscore.
“It does not replicate the intensity of competitive matches of the national team calibre. It discourages younger domestic players working hard to catch the eye of the selectors, especially when there’s no crisis occasioned by injuries or when the match at hand is just a friendly with not so much at stake.”
He also questioned the continued absence of players from AFC Leopards in the national team setup.
“Once again, the national team coach has given a wide berth to AFC Leopards players, if what I’ve seen on social media is indeed the team that has been selected. I think there could be some sort of grudge behind these omissions of AFC players,” he said.
Asibwa went further to question whether some foreign-based players truly offer higher quality compared to local league players.
“Football people, could some of these foreign teams where our players ply their trade really be far better than our local teams? Have you ever heard of some of them, their names?” he posed.
With AFC Leopards currently sitting second in the FKF Premier League table behind record champions Gor Mahia, Asibwa argued that continued omission of their players should raise concern.
“The now routine omission, or rather wide berth visited on AFC Leopards players by the national team technical bench, should be a cause for concern,” he said.
“Being a gigantic team in this region, for the national team coach to sideline players from AFC tilts to a more underlying reason, far from just performance. The insinuation that AFC players cannot improve or are way below the standards is itself a fallacy.”
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He also warned that the trend could demoralise local players.
“Perseverance at times tends to overpower endurance, thus the need for a quick response from the national team technical bench as to the reasons behind this demoralising approach,” Asibwa added.
“Maybe, just maybe, there could be a fracture in rapport that puts many of our young deserving players in a quagmire that requires intervention from elsewhere, especially from us to mediate and seek clarification.”
He concluded by questioning the continued inclusion of unattached players while many active domestic players remain overlooked.
“Why pick unattached players when we have a plethora of young Kenyan players working hard daily and playing competitive matches with a view of catching the same eye of the technical bench that seems to be blind? Does it make sense?” he asked.
“Why routinely omit AFC Leopards players? Isn’t this a sort of discrimination against the many talented Kenyans featuring in the league?”
Kenya squad for FIFA Series
Goalkeepers:
Byrne Omondi, Brian Bwire, Ian Otieno
Defenders:
Frank Odhiambo (Gor Mahia), Aboud Omar (Kenya Police), Sylvester Owino (Gor Mahia), Zak Vyner (Wrexham AFC), Rooney Onyango (Sogndal Fotball), Daniel Sakari (Kenya Police)
Midfielders:
Alpha Onyango (Gor Mahia), Duke Abuya (Young Africans SC), Richard Odada (FC UTA Arad), Chris Erambo (Tusker FC), Manzur Suleiman (Stade de Reims)
Strikers:
Austine Odhiambo (Nejmeh SC), William Lenkupae (Unattached), Job Ochieng (Real Sociedad), Mohammed Bajaber (Simba SC), Zech Obiero (Tranmere Rovers), Clarke Oduor (Grimsby Town), Michael Olunga (Al‑Arabi SC), Ryan Ogam (Wolfsberger AC), Lawrence Okoth (SJK Seinäjoki)