'We Shall Fix It' – FKF President Issues Public Apology After Senegal Expose Benni McCarthy’s Harambee Stars

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed has issued a rare and candid public apology following the Harambee Stars’ crushing 0-8 loss to Senegal in an international friendly match played in Turkey on Tuesday, November 18.

 The defeat which is Kenya’s heaviest since 1978 has triggered immediate concern within the federation and heightened scrutiny over the current technical bench led by Benni McCarthy.

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 Mohammed announced that the federation will undertake a comprehensive review of its structures, policies, and staff performance indicators, underscoring the gravity of the national team’s poor showing.

“Truth be told, today is a bad day in office. The results from today's games are a wake up call to us. To play and compete against the best in the world requires deliberate investment in a serious and professional technical team and player development programs,” wrote Hussein Mohamed on X.

The Harambee Stars found themselves overwhelmed from the opening minutes by the World Cup-bound Lions of Teranga, who showed their pedigree with a relentless attacking display. 

Former Liverpool star Sadio Mané struck a first-half hat-trick, while Nicolas Jackson added a brace, with Malick Diouf and Chérif Ndiaye also getting on the scoresheet.

The FKF boss, acknowledging the magnitude of the defeat, appealed to Kenyans for forgiveness and pledged decisive action moving forward.

Mohammed emphasised that the review will span all levels of Kenyan football — from grassroots development programmes to senior national teams.

“We have no excuses. I apologise for these results. We shall fix it. We will review our policies, operational procedures and key performance indicators of all staff starting from the grassroots and working our way to all National teams,” he added.

The match marked McCarthy’s 15th outing since taking charge in March 2025, but none of his previous results came close to the scale of Tuesday’s humiliation. 

Kenya’s earlier worst defeat under his tenure had been a 3-0 loss to Ivory Coast in the World Cup qualifiers.

Senegal’s dominance was evident barely nine minutes into the game, and by the half-hour mark, Kenya trailed 6-0. 

In the second half, the West African giants continued their onslaught, with Mané completing his fourth of the night and Ndiaye converting a late penalty to close out the 8-0 rout.