2024 CHAN: Benni McCarthy slams critics of Harambee Stars selection criteria

Kenya National Team head coach Benni McCarthy has hit out at critics who have questioned his selection criteria for the Harambee Stars squad ahead of the 2024 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament slated for August.

The South African gaffer came under heavy criticism after unveiling his provisional squad for the competition set to run between August 2 and 30 in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, after omitting Shabana attacking midfielder Brian Michira.

Michira finished the 2024/25 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League season with 12 goals, five fewer than Kakamega Homeboyz forward Moses Shumah, who banged in 17 to scoop the Golden Boot award.

McCarthy has responded to the critics, saying he knows what he is doing and further made it clear that he was not here to please anyone but to bring success to the country.

“You can’t please everyone, you know, and I’m not here to please people. I’m here to bring success to this country, and the players that we’ve selected are the players that we’ve seen, the players that I’ve had in camp. And they were just unfortunate, when you go and play in the World Cup qualifiers, international players come, so you can’t be selected,” said McCarthy as quoted by Flashscore.

“So now it’s based on the local camp. So those are the players that you’ve seen, and you see the qualities and where they can take the team. So, do you risk taking someone based on a couple of good games, or knowing what you’re going to have when you’ve seen players? That’s how we selected them.”

McCarthy continued: “Yeah, we know. Everyone is not going to be happy with how the team is selected, but everyone has not been where I’ve been, so I have and I know talent when I see one, and the players that we’ve selected, that we’ve picked were by far the players that I think and the technical team that can take this team far, and then we’re not going to just participate in the camp.

“We’re here to make a statement. We’re here to go as far as possible, hopefully even winning the tournament, and the boys that I picked have the capability of taking this team to where I want.”

Kenya, who are pooled in Group A, play their opening fixture at 15:00 local time against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kenya’s second fixture will be against Angola on Tuesday, August 7, before they face Morocco on Sunday, August 10, and wind up their group fixtures against Zambia’s Chipolopolo on Sunday, August 17.