‘My Country Didn’t Employ Me’ - Benni McCarthy on Why He Won’t Have Mercy When Kenya Face South Africa

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has insisted that there will be no love stories when Kenya take on his country South Africa.

McCarthy’s men will face Bafana Bafana in back-to-back 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November, putting the South African legend against his country, now managed by one of his mentors Pitso Mosimane.

However, the tactician says there will be no time for sentiment and will be an opportunity to show his country what he is capable of, perhaps after being overlooked for the national team job.

"For me being born in South Africa, a beautiful country, a lot of love, and it will always have that, but I'm coaching Kenya, so there's no…it's my country, unfortunately,” McCarthy told the media on Wednesday.

“My country didn't employ me, so why is my loyalty not with the country I was born in? The loyalty is to the team that believed in me, that gave me the opportunity, that thought that I was the one that can help them move forward in the right direction. That's where my loyalty lies."

However, while he wants to show his tactical acumen to Bafana Bafana, McCarthy admits Kenya faces an uphill task against South Africa given the gulf in quality between the two teams.

“It’s gonna be difficult because South Africa has always been seen as a class A category, they are always in the pot with Morocco, Senegal, so they get the good draws, teams like Kenya in the lower end, so that will be very difficult,” he added.

McCarthy, however, still feels Harambee Stars can pull off an upset as witnessed during the CHAN 2024 tournament when they beat multiple winners Morocco and former champions DR Congo at the group stage.

“But like I said, listen, what we experienced in CHAN and World Cup qualifiers,” he went on. “We played teams like Ivory Coast, Gabon, in Burundi where it was very hostile and we held our own, it was a valuable experience that we gained, it might not have been wins, but I think from where we started to where we finished, we have grown.”

Harambee Stars, who begin their AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Eritrea on Saturday before facing Guinea next Wednesday, will tackle Bafana Bafana away on November 11 and then host them in Nairobi four days later.