McCarthy reveals his first Harambee Stars priority
By Kiplagat Sang, March 14, 2025Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has stated that his first priority is the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifier against The Gambia.
Kenya will play the West Africans away from home on March 20, 2025, before their next qualifier in the month against Gabon.
As he trains his eyes on The Gambia, McCarthy is hopeful that his players will be ready for the clash.
“Our first priority is the Gambia match on the 20th for the World Cup qualification. That is our first priority.
“Hopefully, we can get a team ready to go out there and fight and bring pride to the Kenyan nation. Then, we build on from there to Gabon, and hopefully, we’re on a good path to fulfilling the ultimate dream,” McCarthy said as quoted by a local publication.
McCarthy has overseen his first training session and has promised that his players will work hard during the two qualifiers.
“We’re going to work extremely hard to get this team ready and right so that they can be proud of the players when they put on the Kenyan shirt.
“I think we’re going to give them a team that’s hardworking, that’s fighting, that’s trying to play good football. But most importantly, we’re going to give them a team that wants to win football matches,” he added.
McCarthy’s promise
The South African took over at a time Kenyan supporters were losing the morale to support the team because of the poor results, but he has promised that, with time, everything will be alright.
“It’s just a matter of time before we get it right and things go perfectly. Then, I think everybody will be proud of the team they support and that represents them as Kenyans. That’s what I, my technical team, and the coaches here want to bring to this country. We want to bring a football team that people can be proud of,” he stated.
Ivory Coast tops Group F, leading with 10 points, with Gabon second with nine points. Harambee Stars are fourth with five points.