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The South African legend revealed he was betrayed by trusted staff during his first coaching job, calling it his worst experience ever.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has opened up about one of the darkest chapters of his managerial career, revealing how he felt deeply betrayed during his time in South Africa with Premier Soccer League (PSL) outfit Cape Town City.
McCarthy, who was appointed as Cape Town City coach in 2017 for his first role after hanging up his boots, guided the Citizens to MTN8 glory in 2018 and quickly established himself as one of the brightest young tacticians on the continent.
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In an emotional interview with iDiski Times, the Bafana Bafana legend recounted how members of his own technical team turned against him.
The former West Ham United striker explained that the betrayal forced him to guard his ideas and tactics from colleagues he could no longer trust.
“It was the worst experience,” McCarthy told iDiski Times.
“As a coach or manager, football can already be a lonely job. But when you have to hide from people within your own setup? That’s another level.”
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"They Don’t Hesitate to Stab You in the Back"
The betrayal, McCarthy said, wasn’t merely professional—it cut to the core of personal relationships he believed were built on loyalty.
“You can’t share your ideas, your work, or your tactics, because they’ll use it against you. Not to help the team, but to sabotage you. And to go through that in my very first coaching job at Cape Town City… oh my God, it was terrible,” he recalled.
McCarthy admitted he understood that football is a high-stakes environment where survival instincts can override loyalty. However, he was stunned by how quickly individuals he trusted tried to undermine him.
“I get that it’s about survival,” he continued.
“But what happened to loyalty? If someone gives you a lifeline, brings you into a team, helps you make a living again, shouldn’t that count for something? Instead, it’s like, ‘He saved me, now I’m in… let me take his job.’ They don’t hesitate to stab you in the back. It’s heartbreaking, really.”
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Fans across social media were quick to react to McCarthy’s candid admission, with opinions sharply divided.
One user, ekinimathopo, remarked as per Briefly :
“Typical Benni, everywhere he goes somebody must be blamed.”
On the other hand, umjaka empathised with the coach’s plight:
“Man I felt that for Benni! It’s a real shame it went like that, cause it was a beautiful story being written!”
MohauMosai questioned the wisdom of parting ways with the coach:
“I wonder who that could be but it’s clear that letting go of Benni was a big mistake in the same way AmaZulu did.”
Another fan, Kimberly Green, simply summed up the sentiment:
“Tough situation for Benni—betrayal from within is brutal.”
McCarthy Faces New Challenges with Kenya’s World Cup Quest
Now leading Kenya’s Harambee Stars, McCarthy has shifted focus to an entirely different challenge: securing qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Speaking to press in a recent interview, he made an honest assessment of the uphill task facing his team, citing the points gap and early setbacks in the qualifiers as major obstacles.
McCarthy remains determined to steer Kenya to historic success, his experience in South Africa appears to have left a lasting impression on how he approaches his job and the people around him.
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