South African coach Benni McCarthy has stood up for himself and the Kenyan players after they were unable to secure maximum points in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, as he turns his attention to CHAN.
The Harambee Stars drew against Gambia while playing away before being defeated by Gabon at home during their two matches in the March international window. These were McCarthy's first assignments as Kenya coach.
Nevertheless, the 47-year-old coach has now moved past the World Cup commitment and is focusing on the 2024 Africa Nations Championship. This tournament will take place in August this year and will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
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The former first-team coach at Manchester United, McCarthy believes that this competition will provide him with the chance to assemble a strong squad before the World Cup qualifiers resume in September.
"We had only three training sessions with the entire team and we all saw how the team plays, that should tell you something," McCarthy said per CAF website.
"I think everyone should be very much afraid of the kind of team we are building now. If we have more time, more training sessions and more scouting, then we will have a really great team.
"I haven't watched many local games because I came in and immediately had to focus on the World Cup qualifiers. I had to rely a lot on the coaches who are there. But now, we have time between now and August.
"I will move around the country to try and see as many players as possible. I am also hoping that we can organize small camps in between with some selected players so that we get to build a team early enough," added the former striker.
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"We have to put up a very strong Harambee Stars side because we are hosting this tournament, and we can't be there just to participate. We have to work to get out of the group stages and into the knockout rounds and that means, we need to get a very strong team."
Making their debut, Kenya has been placed in a challenging Group A alongside former champions Morocco and DR Congo, as well as Angola and Zambia, both of whom have previously reached the semi-finals.