Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has justified his backline choices after Kenya’s 3-1 defeat to The Gambia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier played at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on Friday, September 5, 2025.

McCarthy’s defense came under scrutiny after the Scorpions punished Kenya’s defensive lapses to take a commanding 3-0 first-half lead, with Sheriff Shinyan, Yankuba Minteh, and Musa Barrow all finding the back of the net before the break.

Harambee Stars fans expected Benni McCarthy to maintain his strong 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) squad comprising Michael Kibwage, Alfonce Omija, Abud Omar and Lewis Bandi. Still, surprisingly, the South African tactician started with Abud Omar as the only defender from the CHAN squad, giving Collins Sichenje, who plays as a centre-back for Serbian SuperLiga club Vojvodina, a starting berth in the place of Omija, who had a stellar CHAN outing.

Even though McCarthy retained Gor Mahi’s pair of Bryne Omondi and Sylester Owino in the starting line-up, the sharp attacking line of the visiting team, led by Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh made good use of the Harambee Stars’ shaky defence.

However, speaking after the game, McCarthy defended his selection, dismissing criticism that he should have started with alternative defenders.

“If I had gone with a backline of Bandi, Omija, Sylvester and Abud, we might have conceded 5 to 10 goals,” the South African tactician remarked, pointing to the quality and experience gap between his chosen starters and the unused options.

Harambee Stars pulled a goal back late through Ryan Ogam, but the damage had already been done as Gambia sealed maximum points, pushing them to eight points in Group F, two clear of Kenya’s six.

McCarthy maintained that his squad is still in transition and urged fans to be patient as he builds a competitive unit capable of matching Africa’s best.

“This is a young team learning to play under pressure. These games are on another level. Players featuring for World Cup Qualifiers play in major leagues compared to CHAN,” he said.

The loss leaves Kenya with three remaining fixtures that no longer carry qualification significance, but McCarthy insists they will use the matches to test new combinations and strengthen the team for the long-term future.