Harambee Stars: Why an 8-0 Defeat to Senegal Still Fits Benni McCarthy's Long-Term Plan

Harambee Stars might have lost 8-0 to Senegal, one of the worst performances in history, but the head coach Benni McCarthy and the technical bench achieved their objective.

As Benni McCarthy assembles a strong team for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the friendlies were a step in the right direction.

Harambee Stars started their campaign with a 1-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea before their embarrassing display against Senegal that saw Liverpool legend Sadio Mane, and Nicolas Jackson among those who found the back of the net.

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Speaking before they departed for Turkey, Harambee Stars assistant coach Vasili Manousakis said that the team’s priority was gearing up for AFCON 2027 while also building a fresh generation of talent.

He highlighted that several locally based players had demonstrated impressive consistency throughout the season, earning their places in the squad.

The coach went on to mention that the technical bench would have liked to bring in even more players if circumstances had allowed, emphasising that the group already includes many developing youngsters who represent the future of the national team.

“We are focusing on AFCON, on the development of a new crop of players and some really good local players that have been performing week in and week out. We wish we could have picked a couple more, but there are a lot of youngsters,” he revealed.

He explained that the squad selected for the upcoming friendlies had a refreshed feel, noting that the intention behind the fixtures was both to compete and to accelerate the growth of emerging talent.

Vasili Manousakis said the team would still aim for victories, despite knowing the challenges ahead, because every match experience would contribute to the youngsters’ development.

He added that the technical team wanted to expose the new players to senior-level football, pointing out that Baron Ochieng, who recently featured at the U20 AFCON and now faces top-level opponents at Zamalek, is an example of the progress they hope to build on.

He further mentioned that several adjustments were necessary to give these rising players the right platform to mature.

“It’s almost like a new look, Kenyan national team for these upcoming friendlies. That is what it’s about. We want to try and win every game, and we know that it’s going to be difficult,” he added.

“The approach is to approach the game to win, and at the very same time, these boys will grow. That’s pretty much the objective.

“We want to give them a taste of senior football…Baron Ochieng played in the under-20 AFCON. He’s playing with some of the very best in Zamalek. We needed to switch a few things up.”

Despite the heavy defeat, the technical bench remains confident that these challenging fixtures will fast-track the team’s long-term growth.

With AFCON 2027 as the ultimate destination, Harambee Stars view the painful lessons from Senegal not as a setback, but as a necessary part of rebuilding a squad capable of competing on home soil.