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Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy watched the team that gave him his first coaching job go down in South Africa and the club is blaming their woes on big-money signings.
South African club Cape Town City is counting losses following their shocking relegation from the top flight this week.
Cape Town City were the surprise club that went down from the Premier Soccer League this season following a 1-0 loss to second-tier Orbit College in the promotion-relegation playoff on Wednesday, despite being amongst the big spenders in the off-season transfer window.
The club, which honed the coaching skills of Harambee Stars boss Benni McCarthy, brought in over 10 players and among them were stars like former Mamelodi Sundowns ace Haashim Domingo from FAR Rabat, ex-Orlando Pirates man Fortune Makaringe, experienced Kamohelo Mokotjo among others and having finished fifth in 2023-24, there were high hopes in 2024-25.
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However, they went on a poor run that saw the club sack coaches twice, but the result remained the same and now, club chairman John Comitis has opened up on what he feels contributed to their relegation, pointing a finger of blame at their big-name signings for being hugely disappointing.
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22:34 - 25.06.2025
Pain In Benni McCarthy’s Hometown as Harambee Stars Coach’s Ex-Team Suffers Relegation
Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy is among those feeling the pain after his hometown club, which gave him first head coach job, suffered relegation in South Africa.
“We added nine players, all of which were big hitters, big salaries, coming from big clubs, played overseas although they were on the bench in most clubs they were at, but they were big brands and we thought this is what the club needs,” Comitis told South African broadcaster Robert Marawa.
Cape Town City’s Big Names Did Not Rise to the Occasion
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“A little bit of maturity and mix with the youth that we have and [we thought] that it would be a good mix but it was like putting oil and water. Nothing mixed, nothing worked. They didn’t stand up and get counted.”
He weighed on how he thought coaching was the issue and sacked two tactician during the season only to end up with the same results.
“The coach was part of the selection and then we changed that coach. We had a flurry with [beating] Chiefs and Pirates in one week. I saw a result but I did not see football. I saw players with a lot of fear and it then carried on going down from there,” he added.
“They were not small-time players. Big players, big names, big salaries and a lot of disappointment.”
McCarthy worked at Cape Town City in his hometown from July 2017 to November 2019 and since he left, they had not finished below fifth place until the 2024-25 campaign, when they ended up in 15th on the 16-team table, needing a playoff to retain their top flight status but could not manage to pull it off.
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18:20 - 30.05.2025
Benni McCarthy’s Proud Records Remain Intact in South Africa as Former Clubs Endure Contrasting Fortunes
Benni McCarthy continues to prove his doubters wrong when it comes to coaching as none of his former clubs in South Africa have matched his achievements since he left.
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