McCarthy credits win against Morocco to cash rewards in meeting with Ruto
By Mabonga Makhanu, August 11, 2025Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has credited the team’s victory over Morocco to the promise made to the players by the state, saying tactics played a lesser role in the win.
Speaking during President William Ruto’s presentation of Ksh1 million to each player as pledged for their triumph against Morocco on Monday, August 11, 2025, McCarthy’s remarks stirred the room, with the president breaking into loud laughter.
McCarthy said the fulfilment of the promise boosted the players’ morale and contributed greatly to their performance.
He expressed hope that the team would continue to grow and remain an inspiration, noting that every time they step onto the pitch, they display bravery and courage, becoming new heroes and role models for the youth through the example they set.
“Tactics didn’t help much; it’s what you promised the player, and I hope the team continues to grow and be the inspiration that they are, and every time they go into that field, they show a lot of bravery and a lot of courage and are becoming the new heroes and icons of the youth by setting an example that you do,” the coach said.
Fans’ contribution
This comes a day after the coach dedicated the win by Kenya over Morocco to football fans inside the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
In a post-match interview on Sunday, August 10, 2025, McCarthy said that the team could not have achieved the historic win without the fans.
“I am just proud of the players because they left everything on the pitch, not just for themselves but also for the fans in the stadium,” McCarthy noted.
Fans’ contribution to win
“I don’t think if we didn’t have the performance from the fans, we would have survived; not with 11 or 10 players,” he added.
“We owe this victory to the fans. So, I am just beyond grateful that we have a team that leaves everything out on the field. No one thought about whether they were tired; they just pushed and showed the Kenyan athletic spirit on the football field.”
While acknowledging that Morocco had better ball possession compared to the Harambee Stars, McCarthy stated that Kenya was so tactically sound that the possession could not result in goals.
“I think we deserved the win as much as they had 90 per cent of the ball. At the end of the day, three points were ours. We were so tactically organized that Morocco did not know what to do with the ball,” McCarthy observed.