South African legend Benni McCarthy to take over as Harambee Stars coach
South African football legend Benni McCarthy is expected in the country by the end of the week to officially take over as the new Harambee Stars head coach, Nation Sport understands.
According to a senior Football Kenya Federation (FKF) official, McCarthy, who is South Africa’s all-time top scorer with 31 goals, will replace acting coach Francis Kimanzi.
His first assignment will be the crucial 2026 World Cup Group ‘F’ qualifier against Gabon on March 24 at Nyayo National Stadium.
“We have a new coach, Benni McCarthy, who will be taking over the team and is expected to arrive in the country before the end of the week. He is a qualified coach who we believe can help steer the national team to prosperity,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday.
“Our aim is to build a good team that will take Kenya back to the glory days, and everything will be done based on merit, including selection to the national team,” he added.
Unlike previous foreign coaches, McCarthy will not bring his backroom staff. Instead, the current coaching team will be retained, but relegated to the technical bench to support him.
Kimanzi has been serving in an interim capacity following the resignation of Turkish tactician Engin Firat on December 11, 2024, who quit due to non-payment of salary arrears.
“This time, we have got it right, and the finer details of the agreement will be released soon, but he is our new coach, and we expect him to build a competitive team,” added the FKF official.
McCarthy, 47, is also expected to attend Sunday’s highly anticipated ‘Mashemeji’ Derby between AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia.
Having played its international matches in Uganda and South Africa last year, Kenya will use the upcoming home fixture against Gabon to test Nyayo Stadium as a venue ahead of the delayed 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan).
Kenya is currently fourth in Group ‘F’ with five points from four matches. African champions Côte d’Ivoire top the group with 10 points followed by Gabon (nine points), Burundi (seven points), Gambia (three points) and
Seychelles (zero points).
McCarthy boasts a highly decorated playing career, having featured for top clubs including Ajax, Celta Vigo, Porto, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham, and Orlando Pirates. He also earned 79 caps for South Africa, scoring 31 goals for Bafana Bafana.
His coaching experience includes stints with Cape Town City, Amazulu, and as an assistant coach at Sint-Truiden.
Most recently, between 2020 and 2024, McCarthy was a first-team coach at Manchester United, where he worked under Erik ten Hag. With his vast experience, FKF hopes McCarthy can turn around Harambee Stars’ fortunes.
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