Harambee Stars Coach Defends Call-Up of Suspended Gor Mahia Duo for AFCON Qualifier Clash Against Eritrea

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has defended his decision to include goalkeeper Byrne Omondi and defender Mike Kibwage in the national team squad for the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches, despite both players facing suspension at club level following alleged match-fixing accusations.

The internal disciplinary action was taken by reigning Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League champions Gor Mahia following the team's 7-1 aggregate defeat against Egyptian giants Pyramids FC in the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.

While K'Ogalo management handed down suspensions to the national team duo pending internal investigations, Benni McCarthy firmly rejected claims that individual errors accounted for the heavy continental defeat.

The administrative crisis erupted following Gor Mahia's elimination from the CAF Champions League. After suffering a 2-0 defeat in the first leg at Nyayo National Stadium on September 6, 2026, the local heavyweights fell 5-1 in the return fixture in Cairo.

In the immediate aftermath, club management suspended vice-captain Kibwage and shot-stopper Omondi for 14 days, citing suspected misconduct and allegations of match-fixing.

Speaking during a press briefing at the national team camp, Benni McCarthy revealed that he analysed the Cairo match closely and found the targeted public backlash against the two defensive pillars unjustified.

Highlighting the quality gap and technical pedigree of Pyramids FC, led by South African strategist Rulani Mokwena, Benni McCarthy insisted the result was a collective team failure rather than individual sabotage.

"In fact, I happened to watch the Gor Mahia vs Pyramids game because it was played in Egypt, so I have a satellite where I can watch many different African matches, especially when it's the CAF qualifying matches, and then it is on the website, so I watched the game, and I thought the criticism was quite harsh…very harsh, because Pyramids is a very elite team, and it's expected," he said.

The former Manchester United attacking coach expanded on the structural strength of the Egyptian opponents, noting: "You know, unfortunately for Gor Mahia, they held their own, and they have nothing to be ashamed of because this is a team they faced three years, four years ago, they were the best team in Africa. They won the CAF Champions League.

“They are a powerful team with incredible resources, a very wealthy, very established club. It is difficult to compete, you know, with the players that they have, and they also happen to have a South African coach [Rulani Mokwena] at the helm, a very, very good coach and tactically very, very smart."

The former UEFA Champions League winner reiterated that singling out Omondi and Kibwage ignores the overarching context of international football competition.

"So I think it was a collective effort. So for people to point fingers at two individual players [Mike Kibwage and Bryne Omondi], I felt it was very harsh because it was a collective effort. It was a team effort. The team lost. It wasn't anybody's fault,” Benni McCarthy said.

“They were up against a very superior team. So you can't be pointing fingers just at two individuals. And unfortunately for them, it's two individuals that I know very well because I had them in my squad for many, many matches previously. And in the CHAN, they were absolutely unbelievable for me.

“So the trust and the belief that I have in these players, their fight is with their clubs. If the club feel that they detected something that the players did wrong, that's on them. Nothing to do with me."

Clarifying his jurisdictional authority as Harambee Stars head coach, Benni McCarthy maintained that administrative proceedings within Gor Mahia do not influence his tactical selections for Kenya's international obligations.

"Me, I do my job. It's players that I know very well, that have done exceptionally well for me, and I have full confidence in them, and I know if I select them, when they are with me for however long in this camp, they always give me 110%, and for me, that's good enough for me,” Benni McCarthy said.

“And that's why I felt that I would have them as part of my squad, because they've never disappointed me in the past. And just because of the club suspending them on suspicion that the club have, that's down to the club, not down to me.

“And so, yeah, I'm very happy to have those players in the squad and what they can bring and how they can help the team and the national team going forward and hopefully up until we get to the AFCON."

With the national team preparing for its upcoming competitive qualifiers, McCarthy's endorsement provides strong backing for Mike Kibwage and Byrne Omondi as they transition from club controversy back to international duty.