Photo Credit - Football Kenya Federation.
Former South Africa striker and captain Benni McCarthy has already landed in Nairobi in readiness to be unveiled as the new coach of Kenya’s national team Harambee Stars.
The 48-year-old, whose last role was at Premier League side Manchester United, will be unveiled at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), on Monday, March 3rd.
The former Bafana Bafana striker, who managed 79 appearances for the South Africa national team and scored 31 goals, will sign a two-year renewable contract.
McCarthy, who won the UEFA Champions League with Porto, will be unveiled alongside former Bafana Bafana custodian Joseph Moeneeb (as goalkeeper trainer), and Vasili Manousakis (as assistant coach).
Meanwhile, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) will second local coaches to McCarthy's bench, and already former Nairobi City Stars coach Nicholas Muyoti, is among the front-runners, who could be drafted into the new look Harambee Stars’ technical bench.
McCarthy and his new staff will be in charge when Kenya face the Gambia in their 2026 World Cup qualifying away fixture on March 17th, and against Gabon six days later at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
Apart from his recent role at Old Trafford, McCarthy previously worked as head coach of South African Premier Division team AmaZulu. A former forward, he is the South African national team's all-time top scorer and the only South African to have won the UEFA Champions League, doing so with Porto in 2003-04.
McCarthy, who has managed Hibernian, Sint-Truiden, and Cape Town City, began playing at a local side called Young Pirates, which was managed by his uncles. He then joined the youth structures of a local amateur club called Crusaders. At age 17, he was signed by first division club Seven Stars.
He made his full international debut for South Africa in a friendly against the Netherlands on 4 June 1997. Along with veteran Egyptian striker Hossam Hassan, McCarthy was the joint top scorer in the 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso with seven goals, including four in 13 minutes against Namibia.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup in France was the first time South Africa's national football team had reached the later stages of the competition, and McCarthy was one of their key players. After a 3-0 defeat against eventual champions France, South Africa played their second match against Denmark.
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