Benni McCarthy promises Kenya will fight against his motherland
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 28.05.26. | 09:00
Harambee Stars have already secured automatic qualification for the tournament as co-hosts
The 2027 AFCON draw has set up one of African football’s most emotional storylines after Benni McCarthy was drawn against his beloved South Africa national football team while leading Kenya’s Harambee Stars.
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McCarthy, South Africa’s all-time leading scorer and one of the country’s greatest football icons, now faces the difficult task of trying to stop the very nation that made him a legend when Kenya meet Bafana Bafana in Group D alongside Guinea and Eritrea.
For the former FC Porto and Blackburn Rovers striker, the fixture carries huge emotional weight, but he insists his responsibility now lies with Kenya as he works to build a competitive side ahead of the 2027 AFCON tournament to be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
And while McCarthy admits South Africa remain far ahead of Kenya in terms of football development and quality, he has promised Harambee Stars fans that his side will not be embarrassed when the two nations eventually clash.
“We will do our best, we are most definitely targeting getting out of the quaalifiers. And if we face Bafana Bafana, it will be tough, it will be really hard because for me, my heart is with Bafana,” McCarthy as quoted by Goal.com
Kenya have already secured automatic qualification for the tournament as co-hosts, but the qualifiers are expected to provide McCarthy with an important opportunity to assess his squad against strong opposition as he continues rebuilding Harambee Stars.
The South African tactician openly acknowledged the gap between the two nations, pointing to the superior standards in South African football, but believes discipline and determination can still make Kenya competitive.
“But of course, as a coach, you want to do the job for the country that you work for. So yeah, I want to do well, but I know it will be almost impossible for us. This is because the standard in South Africa is a much higher standard than in Kenya. But as I said, sometimes it’s not about how high your standards are.
“It will be about the will power and how good and organised your teams are. And I think my team is pretty organised, and they will give everything.”
McCarthy also addressed Kenya’s painful memories of heavy defeats against top opposition, insisting there will be no repeat of the humiliating 8-0 loss to Senegal.
“We definitely won’t lose 8-0 like we did against Senegal.”
