‘Bring in Competent People’ - Benni McCarthy Wants Heads to Roll Over Harambee Stars Debacle

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has called out his employers Football Kenya Federation (FKF) as well as the Ministry of Sports for not treating the national team with the seriousness it deserves.

McCarthy has seen his team’s preparations for Saturday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Eritrea disrupted by a boycott after his players refused to train in protest over unpaid allowances.

Further, the South African coach also revealed that he and his technical team had pending salaries and allowances while he has not been issued with a work permit nearly 18 months into the job, things that have a huge bearing on his job and his team’s performance.

“It has a massive negative effect on everything, players’ concentration, mental toughness because if you are going out to prepare against a tough opposition, a good African counterpart, you have to be 100% ready and if your mind is dwelling elsewhere because we are focusing on how we are going to get the money, then you will limit your preparation levels,” McCarthy said on Sporty TV.

“We are not the best team out there so we need to be mentally ready and focused and so we can’t afford to have these distractions and that is frustrating,” McCarthy further stated, while remaining optimistic that the issues will not crop again ahead of tougher assignments against Guinea next week and South Africa in November.

“We are trying to sort this out early so that when you play Guinea and South Africa, people don’t want to hear excuses,” added the former Cape Town City and AmaZulu FC coach.

However, McCarthy is not letting those responsible off the hook, calling for the removal of those who keep messing up the national team and the appointment of competent ones.

“The people responsible must take accountability or people must be looking that heads are going to roll and bring in competent people that will make things happen so that we are not in this again,” said the ex-Manchester United first-team coach.

“When we have people in the federation that made this and that mistake, and we let it slide, at the end of the day, it is the national team that suffers the consequences.”

McCarthy oversaw his first training session on Friday, just a day before his team faces Eritrea.