Benni McCarthy Makes Shocking Admission About Leaving Kenya for Scottish Giants

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has opened up about his ambitions beyond Kenya, admitting that managing one of Scotland’s footballing giants would be a dream come true.

The South African tactician, who took over the Kenyan national team earlier this year, has already injected belief and structure into the side. 

Under his leadership, the Harambee Stars have climbed in the FIFA rankings and shown significant improvement despite missing World Cup qualification.

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But even as he builds toward Kenya’s co-hosting of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, McCarthy has one eye on opportunities further afield.

Speaking during his time in Scotland, McCarthy did not hide his admiration for the country’s biggest clubs.

“I am up in Scotland right now, so who knows? I’ll definitely put my CV in for Rangers one day because that would be like managing Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool, Man United up in Scotland because that’s how big they are. Ditto Celtic – if that job were to become available, it would be a dream job for any manager worth their salt,” McCarthy told Best Betting Sites. 

The 47-year-old believes that managing either Rangers or Celtic represents the pinnacle of football in Scotland and admits such an opportunity would be too big to pass up.

“They are two massive clubs and if opportunities like that present themselves here, you will put yourself out there. But the likelihood of you getting it is mission impossible. But you can only hope. That’s the ambition of any manager or anyone that is working in football management; you want to get to the highest level possible.”

Despite his modesty, McCarthy’s name has already been linked with several clubs due to his growing reputation as a coach. 

His success in revitalizing Kenya’s football fortunes and his previous experience working at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag have only strengthened his managerial credentials.

McCarthy also admitted his ultimate dream remains managing in England’s Premier League,  a league he once graced as a player with Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United.

“That will always be a dream. But really, I think it’s almost impossible. There is a very slim chance. But you have got to keep dreaming and hoping, working extremely hard towards that because when you see people looking like me, there’s not a lot of us in management.”

McCarthy added that he continues to draw inspiration from the likes of Nuno Espírito Santo, one of the few black managers to lead at the top level, and remains determined to pave the way for future generations.

“Nuno is probably the only manager that’s fortunate enough to be in such an honourable space. But for the rest of us, we’ll continue to work hard and hopefully that opportunity one day comes. But if it doesn’t, we will fight so that the next generation gets better opportunities off the back of the sacrifices we’ve made.”