Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy has called for patience from Kenyans amid increasing pressure after his team failed to beat Chad in a friendly match on Saturday.
McCarthy’s charges wasted a number of opportunities and ended up drawing 0-0 with the African minnows in the friendly match, a result that left Kenyans disappointed in the team and by extension the coach.
South Africa’s all-time top scorer has been in charge of the Harambee Stars for just three months, taking charge of three games with two draws and a loss, but the last stalemate is what many considered a low given Chad are ranked 177th in the world while Kenya are 111th.
However, the former Cape Town City and AmaZulu coach feels the fans are being impatient as the friendly match meant ‘nothing’ since he is just using it to know his players and build an understanding as he prepares for the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN 2024) as well as future World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Benni hits at Kenyans over unrealistic expectations
“This is experimental because if you are judged by the results, I would not have picked any of these players and would have opted to go international if I was selfish,” McCarthy said in Morocco ahead of his team’s rematch with Chad on Tuesday evening.
“I want to be prepared for CHAN, and I want to pick a good squad. The media and fans have to understand that Rome was not built in a day. I’m not going to come here and make magic, and I need to work with these players and get to know them more.
“I have to get to know these players, assess their quality, and understand what they are capable of at the international level—because they are not playing for Leopards, Tusker, or Gor Mahia anymore. They are representing the national team on the international stage.”
What is McCarthy looking for from Chad friendly?
McCarthy insists building a strong team for the upcoming tournaments is more important to him than winning against Chad as that will not have a long-term impact.
“These are friendly matches. I am trying to build a squad for CHAN, and we are using this opportunity to assess the players at our disposal. Yes, I want to win, of course. But if you do not know the players—and they’ve only been here for a couple of days—you cannot expect them to win five or six-nil. It does not work like that,” he said.
“They need time to get used to each other and adjust to the demands of international football. This is an experimental phase as we try to build a solid team.”
McCarthy had guided Kenya to a 3-3 draw with The Gambia followed by a 2-1 home loss to Gabon, both in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March, before Saturday’s game with Chad.
