Kenya national team coach Benni McCarthy says he isn’t fazed by criticism since taking charge of the Harambee Stars and believes it’s normal for people to have opinions.
The former South African international, the country’s all-time top scorer, was appointed last March amid the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which Kenya failed to advance in.
McCarthy has also overseen the Harambee Stars’ impressive CHAN campaign last year, guiding the team to a quarter-final finish.
In total, he has recorded six wins, five losses, and three draws in 14 matches at the helm. Despite this, some critics in the East African region continue to question his ability to deliver results for Kenya.
Speaking to iDiski Times senior journalist Matshelane Mamabolo, McCarthy reflected on the criticism he has faced.
“Since I’ve taken over, people say this and that,” he said. “But since I joined, it’s the most Kenyan players have ever exported abroad just by working with them in the national team setup.”
The former AmaZulu and Manchester United striker added, “So, yeah, I think you’re always going to have people criticising or having something to say. And I think if they don’t, then I’d be worried. If people don’t talk about me, if they don’t criticise, that’s when something is probably wrong. Because if everybody’s just saying, ‘oh, he’s good, good, good,’ then something’s off.”
McCarthy stressed that critics often don’t understand the challenges of running the national team. “They don’t know what you’re facing,” he said. “If their league was as strong as the PSL, and you had this pool of players to select from, then yeah.
But they are limited. So, what do you do when you have the team for just a week?”
He highlighted the difference in preparation time between the CHAN tournament and other international windows.
“For CHAN, I had the players in camp for a month, and that allowed us to instil tactical discipline and a style of play. That’s why we were able to reach the quarter-final, something Kenya had never done before,” Benni McCarthy explained.
The coach hopes for longer camps in the future to further develop the team’s structure. “The way we play is definitely my style, but if you don’t have opportunities to work on that, how are you going to improve?”
