Photo Credit - Football Kenya Federation.
Kaizer Chiefs legend Doctor Khumalo has hailed the decision by Benni McCarthy to take up the vacant coaching role at Kenya’s national team Harambee Stars.
The 47-year-old McCarthy, who is the South Africa national team Bafana Bafana’s all-time top scorer with 31 goals and also the only South African to have won the UEFA Champions League, doing so with Porto in 2003-04, was unveiled on Monday to take over from Engin Firat, who was fired after failure to take Harambee Stars to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
In the new technical bench, McCarthy was joined by South Africans Vasili Manousakis as the assistant coach, Moeneeb Josephs as goalkeepers trainer, while Pilela Maposa completed the new set up as the Performance Analyst.
The four signed two-year contracts and are expected to bring a fresh approach to the national team setup as Kenya looks ahead to upcoming international fixtures. According to Khumalo, who managed 397 appearances for Amakhosi and scored 75 goals, he was happy to see South African coaches going outside the country, and especially to take charge of national teams.
“There is a [WhatsApp] group that we’re on, and Benni mentioned that there is a possibility of him signing with Kenya after he has been invited in the country last week,” Khumalo said on Soccer Zone as quoted by FARPost.
“I’m happy to see coaches going outside South Africa and he’s not going to a club but a national team. That on its own is big because he’s putting our football on another level. Pitso Mosimane has done that, and Rulani [Mokwena] has also done that.”
McCarthy and his team will take charge as Kenya prepares for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Gambia and Gabon. Kenya will play Gambia away on March 17 before hosting Gabon at Nyayo Stadium on March 24.
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