Benni McCarthy Addresses Pitso Mosimane Appointment Ahead of AFCON Qualifiers: 'Nobody Congratulated Me'

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has addressed his decision not to publicly congratulate fellow countryman Pitso Mosimane following his appointment as head coach of South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.

Benni clarified that his stance is rooted in personal consistency and mutual professional respect rather than hostility.

With Kenya scheduled to face South Africa in the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign, Benni McCarthy reiterated that his full commitment lies entirely with the Kenyan national team.

Explaining his personal philosophy on formal congratulations within the coaching fraternity, Benni McCarthy revealed that he did not receive outreach when taking up the Kenya national team role and sees no need to treat other appointments differently.

"Nobody congratulated me when I got the Kenyan job, so why must I make it my thing to congratulate other people when they get something? I'm very happy. I'm very happy for people when good things in their life happen,” Benni McCarthy said.

“And like I said, the day we face each other, we'll have that respect for one another, and he'll probably congratulate me for the work I'm doing with Kenya and vice versa. I'll congratulate coach Pitso on taking charge of the Bafana job."

Benni McCarthy emphasised that despite the lack of public messages, his relationship with the veteran South African tactician remains built on years of shared history.

"There's mutual respect. He's my senior. We've been very, very good friends from our playing days to now as coaches. We were always on opposite ends of each other, having battles, so, yeah, we know each other very, very well at that," Benni McCarthy added.

Addressing the emotional and political dynamics of managing an opposing African nation against his home country, South Africa's all-time leading international goalscorer made it clear that professional duty takes precedence over nationality.

Reflecting on his roots and his current coaching obligations, McCarthy stated: "So, that is for when we play there, and for me being born in South Africa, a beautiful country, a lot of love, and it will always have that, but I'm coaching Kenya, so there's no…it's my country, unfortunately.

“My country didn't employ me, so why is my loyalty not with the country I was born in? The loyalty is to the team that believed in me, that gave me the opportunity, that thought that I was the one that can help them move forward in the right direction. That's where my loyalty lies."

The tactical showdown between Benni McCarthy and Pitso Mosimane comes at a critical juncture for both nations.

While Kenya has already secured automatic entry into AFCON 2027 as co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania, the qualifying fixtures carry immense weight for South Africa, who must navigate a competitive group alongside Kenya, Guinea, and Eritrea to secure the sole non-automatic qualification spot.

With the November international double-header set to bring both South African legends face-to-face on the touchline, McCarthy's focus remains firmly fixed on delivering results for the Harambee Stars.