Former Kenya Star Explains Why McCarthy Will Fail if Appointed Harambee Stars Coach

• A former Kenyan International has criticised the decision of his country's football governing body to see South African tactician Benni McCarthy as a potential replacement for Engin Firat
• The former Manchester United first-team coach is the frontrunner for the managerial role, but the Kenyan Football Federation are yet to decide who takes up the role permanently
• The former Harambee Stars striker explained why the South African football legend is doomed to fail if appointed as the new coach of the East African country's national team

South African coach Benni McCarthy is expected to be named the new head coach of the Kenyan national team, but his potential appointment has been criticised by the country's former players.

The former Cape Town City mentor has been without a coaching job since being relieved of his duties by English Premier League giants Manchester United at the end of last season.

The Bafana Bafana legend was linked with different managerial jobs, and a possible return to the Premier Soccer League was also on the cards, but recent reports suggest that he's heading to East Africa.

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Ex-international against McCarthy's appointment as Kenya coach

The Kenyan Football Federation (FKF) are seeking a perfect replacement for Engin Firat, who stepped down from the role in December 2024 after failing to qualify the East African nation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Turkish manager cited unpaid salaries from FKF as the reason for his decision to step down. The Kenyan football governing body confirmed Firat's submission and agreed to settle all his unpaid dues.

In a recent interview, as per KickOff, former Kenyan international Boniface Ambani said that McCarthy is not the right man for the Harambee Stars.

The former Harambee Stars striker claimed it would be difficult for the former AmaZulu FC coach to succeed as the East African nation's national team mentor.

"When you talk of Benni McCarthy, I personally think it will be a tall order for him because he doesn't even know a single player from our team," Ambani said as per KickOff.

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"Should Benni come now, then he will be coming to, first of all, learn and study our players, as opposed to expecting so much from him."

If McCarthy fails to clinch the Kenyan men's national team job, he still has options to return to the Betway Premiership and was recently linked with a move to Major League Soccer (MLS).

Three clubs in the MLS reportedly interviewed him, but his search continues as he has yet to get a new coaching job.

McCarthy opens up on missing out on Kaizer Chiefs coaching job

In a related publication, Briefly News reported that Benni McCarthy discussed why he missed out on the vacant coaching role at Kaizer Chiefs before the Soweto giants appointed Nasreddine Nabi.

The South African mentor was part of the list of managers linked with the Glamour Boys' job, but the PSL giants opted for the Tunisian manager.

Source: Briefly News