CHAN: Victor Wanyama sings praises of Kenya coach Benni McCarthy

Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama has called on every football loving Kenyan to give coach Benni McCarthy the required support to build a strong Harambee Stars for future assignments.

The South African legend took charge of Kenya during the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) in East Africa but they got eliminated in the quarterfinal stage after losing 4-3 on penalties to Madagascar following a 1-1 draw in normal and extra-time.

Despite the exit, Wanyama believes the former Manchester United assistant coach remains the best option for the country as they seek to grow and become the best footballing nation in the continent.

“We have a good coach in Benni. We need to support him. We are trying to get back to where we belong,” said Wanyama as quoted by Flashscore. “We need to support him (Benni), we need to support the national team, we need to support football in this country, and we will see our country grow as one of the biggest footballing countries on the continent.

“Honestly speaking, I can see we are trying to get back to where we belong.”

On the Kenya’s performance at CHAN, he said: “It is a great feeling to represent the country at the highest stage and to show what we have in terms of football talent.

“It is every young footballer’s dream to reach those levels and I know after this tournament they will be burning inside to do this again. The tournament has been really great with the way CAF has organised everything from the teams to the supporters.

“There has been an electric atmosphere in Nairobi with full stadiums and so many fans flocking in to watch football. This is a great moment for us and it shows that there will be bigger things to come in 2027 when the AFCON comes here.”

McCarthy and Kenya will shift focus to the 2024 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Gambia and Seychelles in September.

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