Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy says his loyalty now belongs to Kenya. He leads Kenya against South Africa, his home country, in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Friday, Citizen Digital reported. McCarthy is South Africa's all-time leading goalscorer and a national football legend.
The first leg kicks off at 7pm at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg. The return leg is set for Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi next Tuesday. South Africa top Group D with six points after beating Guinea and Eritrea in their first two matches. Kenya have one point from their September matches.
At a press conference on Thursday, McCarthy said his emotions "died the day I hanged up my boots". He said he has good memories but does not expect fans in the stadium to cheer for him or his team. Kenya, he said, will be looking to beat South Africa.
Kenya qualified for AFCON automatically as co-hosts with Tanzania and Uganda. McCarthy warned that this guarantees no player a place. He said players who fail to perform may miss out on the squad, because "you're only as good as your last game."
The former Manchester United first-team strikers coach also spoke about facing South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane. He said their past meetings have always been David versus Goliath affairs. According to McCarthy, Mosimane has always had the upper hand because he has worked at clubs with the best infrastructure.
McCarthy said that as a young coach he has always tried to give his best and make games difficult for opponents. Sometimes he was fortunate, he admitted, and sometimes not. "It's David versus Goliath, and unfortunately, I seem to be always David, I'm never Goliath," he said.