Benni McCarthy under attack again over selection criteria

Kenya national team head coach Benni McCarthy is under scrutiny after selecting Harambee Stars squad for the upcoming FIFA Series in Rwanda.

A former AFC Leopards legend Reginald Asibwa has openly hit out at the South African for his selection which he says favours some players and leaves out others, who have shown they can perform if given the opportunity.

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has named a 23-man squad for the #FIFASERIES2026 set to take place in #Rwanda from March 23 and 31.

Umutoza wa Menya Benni MvCarthy yatangaje urutonde rw’abakinnyi 23 bazaza mu #Rwanda gukina FIFA Series 2026.

Kenya iri mu itsinda A n’u… pic.twitter.com/hvQroKmm3e

— Kayishema Tity Thierry (@TityKayishema) March 13, 2026

Asibwa further wondered why no AFC Leopards player made the Harambee Stars squad despite the FKF Premier League giants sitting second behind Gor Mahia on the league table.

‘I think there could be sort of grudge’

“I don’t understand the rationale of calling a player who is unattached especially when his match fitness is questionable having trained alone or with a personal coach,” Asibwa said as quoted by Flashscore.

“It does not replicate the intensity of competitive matches of the national team calibre. It discourages younger domestic players working hard to catch the eye of the selectors especially when there’s no crisis occasioned by injuries or when the match at hand is just a friendly with not so much at stake.

“Once again, the national team coach has given a wide berth to AFC Leopards players, if what I’ve seen on social media is indeed the team that has been selected. I think there could be a sort of grudge behind these omissions of AFC players.

Asibwa added: “Football people, could some of these foreign teams where our players ply their trade be really far much better than our local teams? Have you ever heard of some of them, their names?

“The now routine omission or rather wide berth visited on AFC Leopards players by the technical bench of the national team should be a cause for concern.

“Being a gigantic team in this region, for the national team coach to sideline players from AFC tilts to a more underlying reason far from just performance and an insinuation that AFC and many other players cannot improve or way below the standards which in itself is a fallacy.”

Kenya to use Series for 2027 AFCON

On March 13, the South African legend unveiled a 23-man squad for the upcoming FIFA Series set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, between March 23 and 31, 2026 FIFA window.

The matches will provide Kenya with valuable preparation time as the national team continues building towards major continental assignments, including the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Kenya has been drawn in a competitive group alongside European side Estonia, Caribbean nation Grenada and regional rivals Rwanda. The FIFA Series will give Harambee Stars an opportunity to build squad chemistry while offering players exposure against teams from different footballing regions.

The team is expected to report to residential camp on March 22 before departing for Rwanda two days later.

Fixtures

Kenya vs Estonia (March 27 | 6PM | Amahoro Stadium)
Winner M1 vs Winner M2 (March 30 | 9PM | Amahoro Stadium)
Loser M1 vs Loser M2 (March 30 | 6PM | Amahoro Stadium)

Kenya squad for FIFA Series;

Goalkeepers; Byrne Omondi, Brian Bwire, Ian Otieno.

Defenders; Frank Odhiambo (Gor Mahia), Abud Omar (Kenya Police), Sylvester Owino (Gor Mahia), Zak Vyner (Wrexham), Rooney Onyango (Sogndal), Daniel Sakari (Kenya Police).

Midfielders; Alpha Onyango (Gor Mahia), Duke Abuya (Yanga), Richard Odada (FC Uta Arad), Chris Erambo (Tusker FC), Manzur Suleiman (Stade De Reims).

Strikers; Austine Odhiambo (Nejmeh), William Lenkupae (Unattached), Job Ochieng (Real Sociedad), Mohammed Bajaber (Simba FC), Zech Obiero (Tranmere Rovers), Clarke Oduor (Grimsby Town), Michael Olunga (Al Arabi), Ryan Ogam (Wolfsberger), Lawrence Okoth (SJK Seinajoki).