At around 1:33 pm on Sunday, August 10, Benni McCarthy walked out to the Kasarani Stadium turf to a rapturous welcome from the sizeable crowd that had begun to gather. Benni McCarthy has won over Kenyan fans after three games at CHAN 2024. Draped in a matching coat and trousers, a black t-shirt and white sneakers, McCarthy stepped out to conduct his pre-match press conference with CAF. This man, Benni McCarthy At 2:51 pm, nine minutes before Harambee Stars’ game vs Morocco, he reappeared, this time without the coat, with his full technical team in tow.
. With the characteristic bounce in his step, McCarthy was treated to deafening applause from a stadium packed to the gills. He responded in kind, placing a hand on his heart and waving to the fans as he made his way to the dugout. The roar followed him all the way, a living, breathing chorus of gratitude for the man who had dared to dream on their behalf. Every face on the stand seemed to tell the same story – Benni is on the wheel, what could go wrong? Even after changing almost his entire starting XI for arguably the biggest group stage game, belief was still rife that he knew better than most why. “We have to thank the coach because he trusts everyone. I don’t have to play every game. Someone else can come in and play well,” said captain Aboud Omar after the nervy 1-0 win. When he was first appointed in early March, McCarthy didn’t promise heaven – he instead wanted Kenyans to trust him and the team he was going to build.
“I can only promise the nation that my staff and 1 will work extremely hard for them and give them a team to be proud of. We will definitely not stop until you have a National team that represents Kenya in the best way.” Benni McCarthy’s CV The 47-year-old came in highly recommended and with a rich CV. He is arguably one of the best strikers Africa has ever produced, playing an integral part in Porto’s Champions League win in 2004. After retirement, he tried his hand at coaching and excelled in the Premier Soccer League with Amazulu and Cape Town. Afterwards, he joined Manchester United, where he trained forwards like Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford under Erik ten Hag. McCarthy’s Harambee Stars have been an embodiment of resilience from the word go. From the thrilling three-all draw against The Gambia to the narrow loss to Gabon, his players have always left it all on the pitch.
There were some doubts when he struggled in the doubleheader Chad friendlies, but these were understandable, as they were friendly games he was using to gauge his squad. Rising above adversity at CHAN 2024 It is at the African Nations Championships (CHAN) that his team has come to life, proving naysayers wrong. After underwhelming preparations, not much was expected of the squad, but three games in, McCarthy has yet to taste defeat. He has beaten the most successful nations in this tournament and a fast-rising country with a coach who has been around for almost 10 years. Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy issues instructions during a game.
In two of the teams, he had to play with one man less. “Trust me, no coach ever trains to play with a red card. My mind was constantly thinking. I tried to sit down, but I couldn’t because my team needed me. I am so exhausted,” he said after the Angola draw. READ ALSO Benni McCarthy calls out Harambee Stars player for Angola decision It is in such adversity that McCarthy has demonstrated his readiness to adapt and play to what the game needs, endearing himself to the Kenyan fans. After Marvin Nabwire was sent off on Thursday, he withdrew Boniface Muchiri, brought on Michael Kibwage and reverted to a back five to protect the point Kenya had. He did the same on Sunday, taking off Edward Omondi and Muchiri for Alpha Onyango and Alphonce Omija. “Unfortunately, it’s not going to be pretty for the fans because they want to see attacking football. But then you think about, most importantly, protecting your goals. And if you are in the lead, you protect at all costs.” How far can Kenya get at CHAN 2024? In the end, McCarthy got four points from the two games, putting Kenya on the verge of qualification. He has been quick to remind his players that nothing is done yet. But with belief slowly returning, and with Kenyans falling in love with local football again, his early promise is beginning to bear fruit — and the story of Benni McCarthy in Kenya is only just getting started.
By Martin Moses
