Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has defended his 2024 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) squad selection, dismissing criticism from local football circles and insisting his picks are driven by first-hand assessment and a mission to take Kenya beyond just participation at the continental stage.

The South African tactician announced his provisional squad for the tournament to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania on Wednesday, July 3, ahead of the eighth edition of the football bonanxa, which is exclusively reserved for players who turn out for local teams in their respective leagues.

However, McCarthy’s selection was not received well, with Shabana official Stephen Kiama questioning the omission of attacking midfielder Brian Michira, who finished the season with 12 goals, five fewer than Kakamega Homeboyz forward Moses Shumah, who scored 17 to scoop the Golden Boot award.

“We really don’t understand who did the selection of the Chan squad. Was it really done by McCarthy himself or Francis [Kimanzi]? Because for any serious coach or director looking for local talent for such a tournament for locally based players, there is no way you can skip the name of Michira,” Kiama told Flashscore in a previous exclusive interview.

“The young man has proved himself this season, he just lost the Premier League Golden Boot by a difference of five goals, the winner managed 17, he scored 12. He was the top scorer in the domestic FKF Cup with five goals. So what else were the selectors for the Chan squad looking for, if not what Michira had achieved this season?

“It is very unfortunate that the selectors did not do their homework very well. For example, they have called up Tusker’s Ryan Ogam, who was out injured for almost the entire season. He only returned to training just a few days before the league concluded. He definitely lacks match fitness, and then you want him to be fit and ready to play at Chan.”

‘You can’t please everyone’

The South African legend has now responded to the outcry from Kenyans, insisting that he was not here to please anyone, and further said that his selection was entirely based on players who have been in camp with Harambee Stars since he took charge of the team.

“You can’t please everyone, you know, and I’m not here to please people. I’m here to bring success to this country, and the players that we’ve selected are the players that we’ve seen, the players that I’ve had in camp. And they were just unfortunate; when you go and play in the World Cup qualifiers, international players come, so you can’t be selected,” McCarthy told Flashscore.

“So now it’s based on the local camp. So those are the players that you’ve seen, and you see the qualities and where they can take the team. So do you risk taking someone aabased on a couple of good games, or knowing what you’re going to have when you’ve seen players? That’s how we selected them.”

McCarthy continued: “Yeah, we know everyone is not going to be happy with how the team is selected, but everyone has not been where I’ve been. I know talent when I see it, and the players that we’ve selected, that we’ve picked, were by far the players that I think, and the technical team thinks, can take this team far. And then we’re not going to just participate in the camp.

“We’re here to make a statement. We’re here to go as far as possible, hopefully even winning the tournament, and the boys that I picked have the capability of taking this team to where I want.”

The former Manchester United assistant coach during Erik ten Hag’s tenure further explained why he picked a large squad for the Chan tournament.

“Well, we have a big squad and in the back of your mind, every single game, even in the practice, you have to be concerned, anything can happen, a player breaks down and injures himself, so it’s not just competitive games. But I think when you play top-class opposition, that we have to, that is fundamental for us,” offered McCarthy.

“So it will give our players also a good indication of where the levels are and what we can still build on in the short period, so that we can be ready to go and fight and hopefully win the Chan.”

Happy for Shumah

Speaking on whether it was a blow for him following the abrupt departure of lethal striker Shumah to Zambia Super League outfit Power Dynamos, McCarthy explained that he was happy for the player to go and try his luck in a bigger league.

“No, I’ve not had the opportunity to speak to Shumah yet, but I think it’s because of his good work that he’s done with his club and also the two friendly matches that we had in Morocco,” explained McCarthy.

“So it’s a great opportunity for the player to move to a better league, where he can go and develop his talent, and then he comes back to the national team when we do the qualifications for the World Cup and prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) 2027.

“So, yeah, it’s fantastic when players excel and they get the opportunity to go play in bigger leagues and expand themselves. It only brings more success to the Kenyan national team and it opens up the door for another young player to come and learn his trade with the team and help us move forward.”

By signing for Dynamos, Shumah, who finished the 2024/25 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League campaign as the top scorer with 17 goals, will not be eligible to represent Kenya, as the tournament is exclusively for players featuring for their respective clubs in local leagues.

Shumah was among the strikers who were named by McCarthy, others being Mohammed Bajaber (Kenya Police), Boniface Muchiri (Ulinzi Stars), David Sakwa (Bandari), Emmanuel Osoro (FC Talanta), Yakeen Muteheli (Ulinzi Stars), Edward Omondi (Sofapaka), Ryan Ogam (Tusker) and Beja Nyamawi (Bandari).

Harambee Stars will play their Group A matches at Kasarani Stadium. They have been drawn alongside Morocco, Angola, DR Congo and Zambia. Kenya will play their opening fixture at 15:00 local time against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

After opening against DR Congo, Kenya’s second fixture will be against Angola on Tuesday, August 7, before they face Morocco on Sunday, August 10, and wind up their group fixtures against Zambia’s Chipolopolo on Sunday, August 17.

This will mark Kenya’s debut in the Chan tournament. It will run from August 2 to August 30, 2025, and promises to be a thrilling celebration of local football talent across East Africa.