Ex-Harambee Stars Coach Pities Benni McCarthy Over Delayed Work Permit - ‘They Gave It to Me in One Day’

Former Harambee Stars coach Adel Amrouche has expressed his concern over the delayed work permit of Benni McCarthy.

McCarthy revealed in September that he is yet to get a work permit over 18 months into the job which has impacted his ability to stay in Kenya and scout more local-based players.

It was a surprising revelation that cast Football Kenya Federation and the government in a negative light although FKF boss Hussein Mohammed has since exonerated his team from blame.

For Amrouche, it is Kenyan players who are the losers in this situation as he believes a number of them are not getting spotted by the national team coach, who is forced to rely on a core of players that he has been working with regularly.

The former Rwanda coach contrasted McCarthy’s situation and his own, saying he got all his papers sorted out quickly, which enabled him to stay in Kenya and hand opportunities to a lot of local-based players.

“When I coached Kenya, I spent 70% of the time in Nairobi and was able to watch all the local teams and also follow the ones that were overseas,” Amrouche told FARPost.

“Before the contract was made, I automatically had my residence visa. They changed my driver’s licence; they gave it to me in one day. You’re like a king when you’re the national team coach.”

Amrouche, who was Harambee Stars coach between February 2013 and August 2014, says his stay in Kenya gave him unfiltered access to a number of local players who he was able to blend well with the foreign-based stars.

“Michael Olunga was still in the local league. I saw him because I was watching local league games,” said the tactician, who led Kenya to the 2013 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup title.

McCarthy was critical of FKF for giving him empty promises when it comes to his work permit but Mohammed has since responded, insisting it is the government’s responsibility to sort out the tactician’s work visa.

“The federation does not issue work permits,” Mohammed said on CGTN Africa. “That is under the preserve of the government but all the applications have been done and it is a process.”

“It is unfortunate that maybe along the way, a ball or two were dropped in that process, but that is back on track and I am sure it is something that will be resolved in no time,” he added.