Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy is oozing confidence that his Kenyan team can go all the way and win the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN 2024).
Kenya are co-hosting the tournament, alongside neighbours Uganda and Tanzania, with the kick off set for Saturday a day before McCarthy’s Harambee Stars start their campaign with a tough match against DR Congo in Nairobi.
Harambee Stars are in what has been termed as the ‘Group of Death,’ alongside DR Congo and Morocco, both two-time winners of the competition, COSAFA Cup champions Angola and Zambia and few are giving them a chance of advancing to the knockout round.
What is giving Benni confidence?
However, McCarthy feels his team is well-prepared and ready to surprise their doubters and he is not worried even if they start poorly.
“Come Sunday, my technical team and myself will make the right decision because this nation deserves the best team that can go out there and fight for it and deliver the best football that they can and hopefully to be superior and better than our opponents,” McCarthy told the media in Nairobi on Wednesday.
“The importance of how good you start always sets you up nicely so the first game is extremely important but it is not the end of the world.
“Argentina for example in the Qatar 2022 World Cup lost their first match to Saudi Arabia, which was crucial, but they ended up winning the World Cup. So, it is not the end of the world if your first game is a disaster but, in our case, hopefully not.”
McCarthy wants strong CHAN start
South Africa’s record scorer does, however, want his players to go into the first match in a confident mood as that will put them in good stead in their subsequent matches.
“So, I am confident that the boys will be ready to give the best performance that Kenyans deserve so we will give everything to have our best match on Sunday because that sets you up nicely ahead of Angola, Morocco and Zambia to come because we are in the Group of Death,” added the former AmaZulu and Cape Town City coach.
McCarthy named his final squad for the tournament on Wednesday but he has been robbed of key players with a number of them ditching national team camp after securing big-money transfers abroad while others are nursing injuries.
