The 47-year-old former South Africa striker took up the vacant role in Kenya on March 4th, 2025, after agreeing to sign a contract that will run until the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Since his appointment, McCarthy, who previously worked as head coach of South African Premier Division team AmaZulu, and as assistant coach at Manchester United, has overseen two matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers played in March.
During the Group F matches, Kenya produced a great comeback to draw 3-3 against Gambia in matchday five at Alassane Ouattara Ebimpe Olympic Stadium in Ivory before returning home to suffer a 2-1 defeat against Gabon at Nyayo Stadium.
McCarthy is the right coach for Harambee Stars
Despite the mixed start to his reign, the 38-year-old Obi Mikel, who is best known for winning the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in 2012 and the Europa League in 2013, is confident that McCarthy will succeed in his Kenyan role.
“I think Benni has got a good job, I think after the skills that I have seen in Kenya, there is no question that the senior team are going to have a lot of talent, he is going to have a good team, he is going to inherit a good team and I wish him all the best,” the former Super Eagles captain, who is in Nairobi, Kenya, for a visit organised by London-based Africa Cultural Enterprise in collaboration with E-Sports platform Afrigame, told Flashscore.
“I also wish the Kenya national team all the best as they continue to grow, and continue to develop, for me it is always nice when Kenya is in a tournament, it is always a good tournament to watch, so for me I hope the Kenya national team continues to grow.
“I know Benni, he is a good guy, he is a good coach, and I wish him all the best, I hope he develops the national team and also gets the opportunity to watch the academy kids, the kids are always the next big fame, hopefully the next Messi, the next John Obi Mikel, the next Cristiano Ronaldo, will come out of here one day.”
McCarthy’s next assignment for Kenya will be two World Cup qualifying matches against Gambia and Seychelles in Nairobi in September. Kenya are currently sitting fourth in the group with six points from six matches. Ivory Coast are topping with 16 points, Gabon are second with 15 points, while Burundi are third with 10. Gambia and Seychelles and fifth and sixth with four and zero points respectively.
Carragher was wrong on AFCON comments
Mikel, who began his career with local Nigerian club Plateau United, before joining Norwegian club Lyn at the age of 17 in 2004, revisited the demeaning comments made by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher on the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
While analysing the Liverpool versus Manchester City Premier League fixture on February 23rd, which the Reds won 2-0 at the Etihad, Carragher stirred controversy by asserting that the continent’s prestigious competition was not a significant tournament.
Carragher had uttered the comments while discussing the performance of Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, who had scored the opener for Liverpool during the game, on whether he could be in line to win the Ballon d’Or - a prestigious annual award for the best player in the world.
He then went ahead to suggest that the former AS Roma and Chelsea forward would have to win the Champions League in order to win the Ballon d’Or because the AFCON tournament was not recognised by voters as a “major tournament”.
“Listen, I have said what I said about it, he (Carragher) is wrong, he knows he is wrong, he has apologised since then but we always as Africans have to defend our tournament, defend who we are, our culture, and what has made us a great nation,” explained Mikel, who went to five AFCON tournaments (winning in 2013), two World Cups, and won a bronze medal at the Olympics in 2016.
“So for Carragher to say what he said, he knows that he said was wrong straight away, and he shouldn’t have said something like that, Africa Cup of Nations is a massive, massive tournament, and I have been lucky to have played in the AFCON for quite so many times and luck to have won it.
“So, the Euros and AFCON is on the same level, same as the Asian Cup, and so for me it is a massive tournament, and hopefully I think Kenya, who will be hosting it in 2027, will have a great tournament under McCarthy.”
Mikel, who had a 14-year international career between 2005 and 2019, and played 91 times for Nigeria, scoring six goals, continued: “So listen, it is huge, it is huge and hopefully, we as Africans, we will continue to develop our game, continue to develop our culture, we defend, who we are because the next generation are growing up to watch us the senior players, on how we defend our tournament, how we defend, who we are.
“I grew up watching the Africa Cup of Nations, and it is something that inspired me while growing up, so when I see somebody trying to discredit who we are, I will not take it, I will always defend. We have to defend who we are for the next generation of kids because they will grow up one day to play in AFCON.”
Mikel wishes Nigeria, Kenya success at U20-AFCON
With Kenya set to face Nigeria at the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt on May 7th at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Mikel was asked to predict the outcome.
“In Nigeria squad, we have a lot of talent, Kenya I am sure they have a lot of talent as well, it is going to be a great game, it is going to be a good game to watch, for us Nigeria, we always want to do well, we always want to win AFCON whenever we play in the tournament, so I am sure it is the same for Kenya as well, it will be a great game and may the best team win,” offered Mikel.
Mikel, who stayed with Chelsea for 11 years where he won multiple titles, including two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and the 2011–12 Champions League before leaving to have brief stints at Tianjin TEDA, Middlesbrough, Trabzonspor, Stoke City and Kuwait SC, further called on the African continent to protect their game.
“I hope we continue to develop African football because African football is massive, is huge, the nation, the continent is huge, people watch a lot of football and it football which unites us, it is football which keeps us together, it is what brings people together, when football is off everything stops,” he said.
“We need to eat and drink football and that is what we do, and we enjoy as long as we and we continue to develop these young kids, trust me, I started like this and nobody thought that one day I will be whom I am, you can never take anything for granted, so this kids one day I hope to watch them on TV.”
While Kenya lost their U20 Group B opener 3-2 against Morocco, Nigeria won their first match 1-0 against Tunisia.
