Harambee Stars captain Olunga ruled out of Eritrea clash

Head coach Benni McCarthy has confirmed that captain Michael Olunga is ruled out of Harambee Stars’ 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Eritrea due to fitness precautions.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Friday, McCarthy said he chose not to risk Olunga, prioritising his full recovery following a recent return from a lengthy injury layoff.

The Al Duhail striker returned to action on August 21 and made several appearances as a substitute before earning his first start since the injury on Monday.

“He came back from a serious injury that he had, so he had a couple of appearances coming on as a sub, and then on Monday night he started his first game since coming back from the injury. So, he called me, he still feels a bit of stiffness in his legs, and he did a scan.

“The scan picked up that he had some strains—a little strain—but he would be okay if he was to come, but myself and him decided that it was maybe for the best interest for the long term for the match against South Africa coming up, and then hopefully for AFCON next year, that it was probably the best decision that if we excuse him for this camp,” said the South African coach.

McCarthy will rely on Ryan Ogam to fill the void after the other option Jonah Ayunga was sidelined with a long-term injury.

“So we could not risk having him if, unfortunately, something bad happened and we lost him for a long time. With Jonah Ayunga also dealing with an injury, we cannot gamble with these players when we are relying on Ryan Ogam only. So the best thing for me to do was to allow him to continue with his rehabilitation,” he added.

The already-qualified Harambee Stars will face Eritrea before travelling to Conakry for their duel with Guinea on October 1 in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.