Latest news with #BenniMcCarthy
CAF
4 days ago
- Sport
- CAF
Debut Alert: Kenya and CAR prepare for their first CHAN appearance
The eighth edition of the TotalEnergies Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) will mark a historic milestone, as two nations, Kenya and the Central African Republic (CAR), make their debut in the tournament. Kenya's Harambee Stars will feature in the biennial competition for the first time, earning qualification by virtue of being one of three co-hosts. This will also be the first time the tournament is jointly hosted by three countries, and Kenya will be eager to prove that their inclusion is more than just a stroke of fortune and show they belong among Africa's best. Despite multiple past attempts, the Harambee Stars have consistently fallen at the final hurdle in qualification. Now, under the leadership of new head coach Benni McCarthy who is embarking on his first senior national team assignment, Kenya has a golden opportunity to showcase its potential on home soil. The Stars have been drawn into a tough Group A alongside former champions Morocco and DR Congo, as well as Angola and Zambia. All of Kenya's group matches will be played at the iconic Moi Sports Centre Kasarani, the same venue where the country reached the final of the 1987 All-Africa Games. Kenya will be banking on home advantage and the unwavering support of their passionate fans to propel them toward their minimum goal: reaching the Round of 16. Coach McCarthy has already named a 30-man provisional squad, which will be trimmed to the final 23 at least a week before the tournament. Kenya's campaign kicks off on August 3 with an opener against DR Congo. Also making their tournament debut is the Central African Republic. The Fauves de Bas-Oubangui earned their place at the tournament in a commanding manner, eliminating continental heavyweights Cameroon on the away goals rule. After losing the first leg 1-0 at home (played in Ivory Coast), CAR staged a stunning comeback in the return leg at Bafoussam's Stade Omnisports, coming from a goal down to win 2-1 thanks to a late strike by Bertillon Arnold Yangana. Head coach Eloge Enza has named a provisional 30-man squad, and the team has begun its preparations in the capital, Bangui. CAR has been placed in Group B, where they will take on co-hosts Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso in matches set to be played in Dar es Salaam. Like the Harambee Stars, the Central African Republic will be aiming to advance past the group stages in their first appearance at the tournament tailor-made for homegrown talent.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘One of the biggest mistakes in football' – Ex-Man Utd coach slams club for transfer decision ‘everyone at club regrets'
MANCHESTER UNITED made one of the "biggest mistakes in football" by selling Scott McTominay, a former Red Devils coach has claimed. The Scotland international's near-life-long love affair with the Old Trafford club came to an end last August when he joined Napoli for a fee of £27.5million. 4 4 4 The midfielder's departure, which was in part to help balance the books, wasn't lamented in the slightest as he wasn't a guaranteed name in the starting XI. McTominay, however, has flourished since leaving the Theatre of Dreams and helped guide Napoli to last season's Serie A title. He scored 12 goals in 34 league appearances for the Neopolitans and was named Serie's Most Valuable Player of the season. Many connected with United have since cursed McTominay's departure, including former coach Benni McCarthy. The South African told "Of course, there are different reasons why you sell homegrown players sometimes. "When they go, the profit lets you sign more players. "Having said that, it was one of the biggest mistakes in football to let him leave. He was born to play for United. "Maybe he wasn't the most technical, but he had fight, and I think it's what they will get back with Matheus Cunha. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 "Scotty was a player that you look for in a dressing room to get you where you want to be. "To let him go for what was a small transfer fee was a big shame. I think everyone at the club regrets that decision." McTominay's impressive debut season at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium has seen him immortalised by Napoli fans. An incredible shrine to the midfielder has been painted on the graffiti-filled San Nicola a Nilo street in the heart of Naples' Decumani district. McTominay wrote his name into Napoli's history books in May by helping them clinch their fourth Scudetto with a stunning bicycle kick in their 2-0 win over Cagliari, which saw them pip Inter Milan to the title by a solitary point.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Benni McCarthy: Rele Mofokeng must move to Europe to become a global star
Benni has spoken Bafana great Benni McCarthy has given his opinion on where he would like to see Orlando Pirates ensation Relebohile Mofokeng playing his football. Photo: Phakamisa Lensman/BackpagePix Image: Phakamisa Lensman/BackpagePix Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading 'I've watched him several times, and I think he's got huge potential. He's got the mentality, the football brains, and mentality of players from my generation,' McCarthy, who is currently the head coach of the Kenya national team, said when answering IOL Sport's question. 'He's generations ahead of the current crop of players. I think he's got what it takes to make it in Europe. I would encourage him to find a way to play in Europe. South Africa, yes, it has some of the best players in Africa, but Africa is a small continent in football terms. 'When you play in Europe, you get the chance to play against the biggest and the best. It's you against the world.' McCarthy believes that testing oneself in Europe is the only way for South African players to remain relevant and challenge themselves at the highest level. McCarthy continued: 'I think he should consider going to the Scottish league, somewhere like that, so he can work his way up from there. Rangers and Celtic always need strikers they can bring on and develop before selling on to bigger clubs. 'Some players are happy to stay in Africa, and they can make a decent living, but they become irrelevant if they don't test themselves as hard as they can. If you play in Europe, you can excel, and he could also move to the Dutch or the Portuguese league. 'If you succeed there, it's only a matter of time before the Premier League sides come calling. I think he's got the ability, and he needs to give himself the opportunity.' * Benni McCarthy was speaking to The full interview can be found here. IOL Sport Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
CAF
25-06-2025
- Sport
- CAF
TotalEnergies CAF CHAN 2024: Know the Coach: Benni McCarthy (Kenya)
Kenya will make its debut at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024, when the tournament kicks off in August, and the Harambee Stars will look to the legendary South African footballer Benni McCarthy, to lead what they aim to be a historic run in their maiden appearance. The former Bafana Bafana star was officially unveiled as the Harambee Stars head coach in March, and has already been in charge in two competitive matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, as well as back to back friendly matches against Chad. These four matches have shown McCarthy's attractive brand of attacking football and a massive positive swing in Kenya's playing style. Most recently an attack coach with English Premier League giants Manchester United, the UEFA Champions League winner is on his maiden job with a national team. He will be out to show that the experience he picked in one of the most competitive leagues in the world will count. He has been focused on following local league matches, to build a strong and formidable team that will compete for honours on home soil. Name: Benni McCarthy Nationality: South African Age: 47 years Current Team: Kenya Tenure: 2025 Career Highlights McCarthy is taking on his first national team job, having only worked at club level in his young coaching career. Before joining Manchester United, where he worked under Eric ten Hag, McCarthy worked with South African clubs Cape Town City and AmaZulu FC. He had also had stints with Hibernian FC (Scotland) and Belgian side Saint Truiden, both working as an assistant. While with Cape Town in 2018, he led them to the MTN 8 title. He earned more success when he moved to AmaZulu in the 2020-21 season, leading them to their highest ever placing in the South African top flight, a second place finish. They went on to qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League where they made more history, qualifying to the group stages in their maiden attempt. Coaching Style McCarthy, being a former striker himself, favours an attacking style of play, often employing formations like 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 to maximize offensive potential. This approach is expected to challenge opponents at CHAN 2024 while reflecting his commitment to creating an exciting brand of football. CHAN Experience As Kenya is participating in the CHAN tournament for the first time, this will also mark McCarthy's debut in the competition. His role will be pivotal as the Harambee Stars aim to establish themselves among the continent's elite. Impact on the Team Despite only picking one win in four matches in charge, McCarthy has already shown a rebirth in how the team plays, and his insistence on giving players a chance based on merit. He has also shown great affection for his players, bridging what was an otherwise big gap between the playing unit and the technical bench. McCarthy has repeatedly said that he will build a team that will not just participate at the CHAN 2024, but compete as well. Fun Fact McCarthy has been vocal on giving young and local players a chance, saying as long as they have shown what they can do, they should be offered a chance. He has been to several Premier League matches and the last two international friendly matches against Chad have seen several local players handed debuts. Conclusion With Benni McCarthy at the helm, Kenya heads into CHAN 2024 with optimism and a determination to make their mark. His vision for the Harambee Stars is rooted in fostering local talent and ensuring that the team competes with pride on the continental stage.
Daily Maverick
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Cape Town's top-flight hopes hanging by a thread as they navigate Premiership playoffs
If Cape Town City fail in the Premier Soccer League's ongoing relegation and promotion playoffs, Cape Town will have no representative in top-flight South African soccer. Cape Town has a rich history with African soccer. From producing former Premiership champions Santos, to influential teams such as Ajax Cape Town, Cape Town Spurs and Hellenic, the city has been integral in the development of South African soccer. In addition to these clubs, superstar players such as Benni McCarthy, Shaun Bartlett and Quinton Fortune were produced from the streets of Cape Town. Now all this history hangs by a thread with the city's sole representative in the South African Premiership, Cape Town City, currently in the relegation and promotion playoffs. Battle for survival City finished second from bottom in the recently concluded Premiership season. By virtue of this disappointing display, the Capetonians find themselves in the playoffs. They are alongside Casric Stars, of Mpumalanga, as well as North West's Orbit College. Orbit were Championship runners-up – behind promoted champions Durban City (formerly Maritzburg United). Casric ended the Championship season third. Hence both sides will be participating in the playoffs alongside City. In the 16-team Premiership, the team which finishes bottom of the league is automatically relegated. This season, as a result of their being expelled from the Premier Soccer League (PSL), Royal AM were the 'relegated' team for the 2024/25 season. After finishing first in the second-tier, automatically promoted Durban Stars have taken Royal's place in the top-flight. As the two worst-performing teams in the Premiership (behind the grounded Royal), City and SuperSport United were then left to fight it out for guaranteed survival. The team that finishes 15th on the Premiership table must take part in the playoffs. Change of fortunes In the end, SuperSport edged their rivals on goal difference. Both teams ended the season on 27 points after their 28 matches, but Matsatsantsa's goal difference of -12 was marginally better than City's -16. The Cape side lost a staggering 15 matches on the way to finding itself in this tight corner. To compound Cape Town's woes, Spurs were recently relegated from the second-tier of South African soccer – one season after their relegation from the Premiership. History is marginally on City's side in the quest to preserve Cape Town's pride. In the last 10 seasons, six Premiership sides have retained their status in the top-flight. Casric and Orbit will be drawing inspiration from the four Championship teams that shocked their Premiership counterparts over the last decade. 'A lot of people are heavily dependent on [City and Spurs] to earn a living. Besides that, they are teams that have contributed immensely to our football. Superstars come from those teams. But Cape Town City still have a chance to fight in the playoffs and I just wish them well,' former Bafana Bafana winger Siphiwe Tshabalala told Sowetan. Those associated with the club, including club co-owner and chairperson John Comitis, will be wondering how their fortunes changed so drastically. In the three seasons preceding the ill-fated 2024/25 campaign, City had not finished outside the top five in the Premiership. The club is also working on building its own stadium, as Comitis told Daily Maverick in 2024. Relegation would be a major blow for these plans. 'Ultimately, we [City] need to build our own stadium and our own home base. We've had a lot of support from the mayor's office in terms of trying to achieve that,' Comitis said. False start A mixed bag of results, which included four defeats in their first 10 league matches, foreshadowed City's troubles this season. The indifferent start eventually cost coach Eric Tinkler his job in December. Former Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral was recruited in January, but he was out by March after the situation worsened under him. Diogo Peral has been at helm on an interim basis since the sacking of Ertugral, and he is the man charged with saving City's status as a top-flight team. City, Casric and Orbit will play each other home and away in a mini-league format, and the team that collects the most points at the end of the playoffs will secure a spot in the 2025/26 Premiership campaign. The playoffs kicked off on 11 June, with 0-0 draw between the two second-tier teams. The competition will conclude on 28 June. DM
