The East African nation have been drawn in Group A of the tournament exclusively reserved for players, who feature in their respective local league, alongside Morocco, DR Congo, Angola and Zambia.
“It is clear for everyone to see, and to know that we are in a group of death, it is an impossible group to be in, but a fantastic challenge for us, you know, to see how far we have come, and where we are at as a football nation,” the South African legend told Flashscore.
“It will be a nice challenge,” McCarthy continued: "DR Congo they have won the CHAN tournament twice in previous years, Morocco has won it twice also in previous years, and Angola has just won the COSAFA, so they are teams with big pedigree, don't forget Zambia has also been a massive name in African history."
“But along comes Kenya, but I think we have got everything in our path to succeed, the players are well prepared, they are ready for the challenge, and the fact that we play home, we will have so many thousands of Kenyan supporters that will be behind the team, and spur the team on, I think we are excited and ready for the challenge.”
McCarthy continued: “We want to be one of the surprises to come out and win the tournament, and this tournament being a stepping stone, it is a life-changing experience, I myself never played at CHAN but played at U-20 level at Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
“Fortunately, for me I was the top goalscorer of the tournament, and best player, and I ended up getting a move to Ajax Amsterdam because of a tournament like that, because you never know who's watching.”
McCarthy further revealed how he was motivating his players to go for a top-class performance during the tournament set to run between August 2nd until August 30th.
“I have been telling my players, this is the best opportunity that they are going to experience, that they are going to have, so they have to play well, to impress, and become a success story,” added McCarthy.
“If they impress, then European teams, and top African teams will be knocking the door for their services to get the dream moves to top clubs in the world, so the tournament couldn’t have come at a better time for these players.”
McCarthy hates dropping players
McCarthy, who previously worked as coach of South African Premier Division team AmaZulu, and as first team coach at Premier League club Manchester United, revealed his toughest task since he took over the role of handling Harambee Stars.
“It’s been a good camp but yesterday (Tuesday) was a very tough day for me, because I had to do something that I hate doing, and that was to disappoint players, because I had to trim the squad down,” explained McCarthy.
“So, I had to let some players that I thought trained really well, worked well, but unfortunately you have a number that you have to reach and the squad has to be that number, so unfortunately I had to disappoint some players and it is never a nice thing, because I had to be the bad person.”
Some of the players axed by McCarthy include Ulinzi Stars duo of Staphod Odhiambo and Yakeen Muteheli, Shabana’s Keith Imbali, AFC Leopards’ Kelly Madada, and Tusker’s Brian Opondo.
“Other than the bad news, everything was good, the players looked really fit and healthy, even though this comes after a very long season and they had only one week to rest, but they came back with good physical ability, and I feel slowly by slowly we are going into our goal, and by time CHAN comes, the squad will be ready, they will be fighting to make Kenyans proud,” added McCarthy.
On the decision to bring in new faces, McCarthy said: “Obviously when you see players quality, like I said you have a number of matches that you watch, and then you make a decision on players, and then we had the opportunity to play a friendly, a combination of players playing in the league, and players coming from outside, there was a few players, who really impressed, and I felt that the quality should be better used in the squad even though they haven’t integrated with the rest,” offered McCarthy.
“Earlier, like I said it is never too late if players impress when they play against you, and you feel that they could be a better option, than what you already have, then you make that decision because at the end of the day, it is only going to benefit the national team.
“It is only going to benefit Kenya, so when we have the best players at our disposal for the national team, what better way to do that, and yeah, I just felt myself and the technical team, these were players that we can integrate and put in the squad and help us on our goals to win CHAN.”
On whether he expects to make more changes to the squad before the CHAN tournament gets underway, McCarthy responded: “We open doors to every player, like I said, the squad has to be finalised by July 23rd, so we have a couple of more days to work and see who's where.
“Anything might happen, physically, players, might break down, and you have an injury or two, and then you need to bring in other players, but I hope that the team stays fit and healthy, but if there’s top players available, then, yeah, we will be open about integrating them into the team and seeing if they can add more quality.”
McCarthy unhappy to lose striker Osoro
The latest exit of striker Emmanuel Osoro to sign for Power Dynamos of Zambia, did not skip the attention of McCarthy, who felt the transfer had happened at the wrong time, denying Kenya an opportunity to use the player during the CHAN.
Osoro, who was the second top scorer in the FKF Premier League last season after managing 16 goals and providing seven assists for FC Talanta, completed the switch on Tuesday after penning a permanent two-year contract.
His move comes just a week after the same side, Dynamos, unveiled top scorer Moses Shumah from Kakamega Homeboyz, also on a two-year contract.
“We have already lost Emmanuel Osoro, he was a very key figure to the team, but he signed a contract with a foreign club, so with the rules of CAF, it means that he is not eligible to play in the CHAN, which is a shame to us because, he is a player that did exceptionally well in the league, and when we were out in Morocco, he was one of the outstanding performers,” said McCarthy.
“Then you get to lose a player just before CHAN starts, so yeah, and also Shumah, another player that we also lost, that was already with the squad, and was in my provisional squad as well, so when you lose two quality players of that status, weeks before the CHAN it is difficult, but you have to have open mind that if there are other players outside there, who can impress, and they can help the team in CHAN, then we are open to including them.”
On why Kenya Police FC midfielder Mohammed Bajaber was training alone, and not with the entire squad, McCarthy said: “Bajaber got injured when we went to Morocco for the international friendlies, he strained his arm, but my decision, he is a good player, he is a young player that broke through the system and quickly developed himself into a powerhouse.
“He is a player that is not going to play in the Kenyan league for long because international clubs are already looking at him and that is largely due to his bravery that he has as a player because he wants better for himself, so he is improved.
“So if you have such kind of players you give them every opportunity to be available for the squad because you can’t afford to lose players like that, and it will be silly of me to let him train every day and before CHAN starts, you lose the player through small niggles, and that is why we give him every possibility, and so he has a strict programme with the fitness coach and the physio.”
This year’s tournament is particularly significant for Kenya, which will be making its debut appearance on home soil. The Harambee Stars will have the opportunity to showcase their locally based players in front of home fans, offering a unique chance to connect the national team to the grassroots and domestic leagues that shape them.
Groups at a glance
Group A: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia
Group B: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic
Group C: Uganda, Niger, Guinea, Algeria, South Africa
Group D: Senegal, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria
