Confident Benni McCarthy takes over as Harambee Stars boss

In an event presided by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss Hussein Mohammed and well attended by tens of Kenyan football legends at a Nairobi hotel, the former Manchester United first team coach (specifically for the forwards) was unveiled alongside his backroom staff of three – Vasili Manousakis, Moeneeb Josephs and Piela Maposa.

Manousakis will be the Assistant Coach, Josephs the Goalkeepers Trainer while Maposa will be the Performance Assistant. The entire backroom staff comprises fellow South African coaches.

Speaking at the event, McCarthy exuded confidence that Stars will shine brighter under him.

“I discovered the talent that Kenya has, and you look at the other national teams which are doing well and you ask why not, I ask why not… we can also go up there. I am here to make Kenya a football powerhouse,” said McCarthy, who retired from active football as a player in 2013.

“Transparency is the major thing that attracted me to come to Kenya. Transparency is the biggest challenge in Africa. Here we have a new regime which has convinced me they want to work with transparency. The president and his deputy have told me that they are not promising everything will be rosy, but will do all they can to support our course,” who called upon Kenyans to be positive, adding that he wants to turn “negativity into positivity.”

McCarthy was quick to pledge that he would not mind sharing ideas with Harambee Starlets coach Beldine Odemba, saluting her recent achievement having beaten giants Tunisia away in a WAFCON qualifier.

“We will definitely be sharing ideas, it is about Kenya’s football success.”

He is, importantly, not giving up on the 2026 World Cup qualification, although Kenya started the campaign on the wrong footing under former coach Engin Firat, losing to Gabon before beating Seychelles.

“We want to win every point available and see if we can finish top or even in a second position where we can feature in the playoffs…” an optimistic McCarthy averred.

Hussein, his boss, has called on Kenyans to be positive and patient, as the South African starts his journey with Stars.

“We have both long-term and short-term objectives, but I want to give the example of the Harambee Starlets who recently most wrote off after drawing Tunisia at home. We want to win away in Tunisia, and the hope is back. We still have a chance for the 2026 World Cup, I believe,” Hussein observed, on the immediate demands of the coach.

FKF Vice President McDonald Mariga also backed McCarthy to fly high with Stars.

“We were looking for a coach who has experience in both Europe and Africa, so Benni has that aspect, and we know he has what it takes to take Kenya to the next level. He has played at the World Cup, and believes he can also be crucial in taking us there,” commented FKF president McDonald Mariga, who like McCarthy, won the Uefa Champions League under celebrated Portuguese Jose Mourinho.

McCarthy arrives with an impressive CV, but faces a monumental challenge to transform the Harambee Stars into a competitive force.

The tactician is no stranger to success. The former forward remains South Africa’s all-time top scorer with 31 international goals, a feat that cemented his legacy as one of the greatest footballers from the continent.

He remains the only South African to have lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy, achieving the historic feat with FC Porto in the 2003–04 season under the guidance of Mourinho.

McCarthy began his coaching career in Belgium as an assistant at Sint-Truiden before taking over as head coach at Cape Town City. In 2018, he led the team to victory in the MTN 8 Cup, securing his first piece of silverware as a coach.

His success continued at AmaZulu, where he masterminded the club’s best-ever league finish in the modern era, guiding them to second place in the 2020–21 DStv Premiership and earning them a place in the CAF Champions League.

Most recently, McCarthy has been serving as a first-team coach at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag.

His experience at one of the world’s biggest clubs adds to his credentials, but managing a national team presents a different kind of challenge.

McCarthy arrived in Nairobi last Thursday and is expected to hit the ground running with the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers looming large. Kenya faces Gambia on March 17, followed by a clash against Gabon.

The Harambee Stars currently sit fourth in Group F with five points, trailing Ivory Coast, Gabon and Burundi.