March 3 – Benni McCarthy will become the new manager of Kenya after agreeing to the role in principle.
The South African will take over from Francis Kimanzi, who has been managing the Harambee Stars on an interim basis after Turkish coach Engin Firat left the role last year due to non-payment of salary arrears. McCarthy will not bring his own backroom staff, but the current coaching team will be retained.
The South African has managerial experience at Cape Town City and AmaZulu. He served as an assistant coach at Sint Truiden in Belgium. At Manchester United, he was a first-team coach under Dutch manager Erik Ten Hag.
McCarthy’s first games in charge will be World Cup qualifiers against Gabon and Gambia in March.
Expectations for McCarthy are high as Kenya will co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, the first time East Africa has hosted the tournament. The Kenyans are looking for a resurgence in form over the next two years. On Monday, the South African will be unveiled as the national team’s latest manager in Nairobi.
Not everyone has welcomed McCarthy’s appointment. In the local media, Kakamega Homeboyz manager Francis Baraza cricitised the FKF’s decision saying: “Bringing in foreign coaches shows that the federation does not trust us (local coaches). Why bring someone from outside when we have our own coaches who are equal to the task? Look at our neighbours Tanzania – they are doing well with their local coaches. We should also emulate them. What will the new coach tell Kenyans if he loses his first match? He will say he is still new.”
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