Benni McCarthy Addresses Kenya’s Biggest Concerns Ahead of Bafana Bafana Showdown
- Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy spoke candidly about the challenges facing the Harambee Stars ahead of back-to-back AFCON qualifiers
- McCarthy pointed to the unstarted Kenyan league as a serious obstacle in building a competitive squad for the upcoming ties
- South Africa's Bafana Bafana, coached by Pitso Mosimane, are among the opponents Kenya must face in the next international break
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Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has laid bare the off-field difficulties undermining Kenya's preparations for their upcoming 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Bafana Bafana, admitting that competing with the continent's stronger nations represents a near-insurmountable challenge under current conditions.
Kenya is one of three co-hosts for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, alongside Tanzania and Uganda, and has already secured qualification through that status. The Harambee Stars sit third in Group D after two matches, having drawn 1-1 with Eritrea and falling 2-1 to Guinea away from home.
**McCarthy Highlights League Standstill**
Speaking to the media, McCarthy drew attention to a fundamental problem: the Kenyan domestic league had not yet kicked off, leaving locally-based players without competitive minutes heading into the qualification window.
"Not everybody plays in Europe, so a lot of our players come from the local leagues in Kenya. And just so you know also, people are calling for Kenyan players, but the league has not even started. So, none of the players in Kenya have played a single league match," McCarthy said.
He questioned how selectors could reasonably pick players who had played no competitive football, while the rest of the football world had already resumed their seasons.
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**Competing With Africa's Best**
McCarthy was also direct about the gap in resources between Kenya and some of the continent's powerhouses, naming Bafana Bafana, Morocco, and Senegal specifically.
"You know, but if people are expecting me to beat Bafana, to beat Morocco, to beat Senegal, it's very hard; it's a very impossible task because of the players that those countries have and the leagues that they play for and the players that we have in Kenya," he said.
The South African coach acknowledged public frustration but pushed back against armchair criticism. "So how do you select players who haven't even played, and the rest of the world, the competitions have already started? So, I think from the outside it's always easy. Everybody on the outside is the best coach, the best players. But when you get a chance to be on this side, then you see how hard it is."
The upcoming doubleheader against Bafana Bafana, who are led by fellow South African coach Pitso Mosimane, adds an extra dimension of intrigue, with two compatriots set to go head-to-head from opposing dugouts.
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Source: Briefly News
