As the search for a replacement for the vacant Kenya national men’s football team head coach position intensifies, former Manchester United attacking coach Benni McCarthy has emerged as one of the leading contenders to manage the Harambee Stars.
This comes following the resignation of former coach Engin Firat, who resigned earlier in December citing unpaid salaries by the government.
Newly elected Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed on Wednesday, December 11, afternoon confirmed reports that the under-fire coach had resigned, bringing an end to his tenure of just over three years.
The Turkish coach had secured only three competitive wins during his tenure.
Hussein while speaking in a press briefing at the FKF headquarters in Kasarani, Nairobi, said the federation has accepted Firat’s resignation, and that it was in the process of finding his replacement.
“Harambee Stars coach has terminated his contract with the federation, and we will be looking forward to new alternatives. The next coach will be chosen according to their performance, the nationality of the coach notwithstanding,” revealed Hussein.
It has since emerged that the new FKF office, led by President Hussein and his deputy, former Harambee Stars forward McDonald Mariga, has selected Benni McCarthy as one of the top candidates interviewed for the vacant Harambee Stars head coach position.
Benni McCarthy’s most recent job was with Manchester United where he served as an attacking coach for two seasons before leaving in July.
Profile of former Manchester United attacking coach Benni McCarthy
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, 47 years ago, McCarthy played as a striker for top European clubs including Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United (both England), Porto (Portugal), Celta de Vigo (Spain), and Ajax (Netherlands).
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The former striker who also represented the South Africa National Men’s Football Team, the Bafana Bafana, retired as a player in 2014.
Regarded as one of the greatest Bafana Bafana footballers of all time, McCarthy’s most successful stint as a player came during his time with Porto, where he won several trophies, including the 2004 UEFA Champions League title under Jose Mourinho.
Following his retirement as a player, the former Porto striker transitioned into coaching in 2014, starting as an assistant manager at Belgian club Sint-Truiden.
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It was at Sint-Truiden that Benni completed his coaching licenses before he took over as head coach at South African side Cape Town City FC in June 2016.
His first coaching trophy coming in 2017 when he led the team to victory in the MTN Super 8.
McCarthy later earned his UEFA Pro License while coaching AmaZulu FC where he became the head coach in December 2020, leading them to a second-place finish in the Premier Soccer League—their best-ever league result—and qualification for the 2021-22 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League.
Under the former Bafana Bafana player, AmaZulu reached the group stages of the CAF Champions League before his departure in March 2022.
Benni later joined Manchester United in July 2022 as an attacking coach working with the team’s forwards under former coach Erik Ten Hag until his two-year contract ended in July 2024.
Harambee Stars’ scheduled matches for 2025
If selected as former Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat’s replacement, the South African is set to take charge of Kenya ahead of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament, which starts on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
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Former Harambee Stars coach Francis Kimanzi has been appointed the interim coach to take charge of the team in the Mapinduzi Cup set to commence on Friday, January 3, in Zanzibar.
Kimanzi has already named a squad that is expected to form the CHAN team which is being co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
It is however yet to be confirmed if Kimanzi will lead the team during the CHAN tournament or if he will hand over the reins to the new expected coach after the Mapinduzi Cup.
If McCarthy does not manage the CHAN team, his first official assignment will be Kenya’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Gabon scheduled for March 17, 2025.
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