- Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has expressed interest in a mini-tournament that would see Kenya vs Tanzania in a regional derby.
- This idea follows the recently concluded CHAN 2024 tournament, where fans from both nations exchanged plenty of banter throughout the competition.
- If the proposed tournament goes ahead as the South African tactician hopes, the rivalry will continue, with Kenya currently holding the upper hand in recent encounters.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has expressed a strong interest in a mini-tournament that would pit Kenya against regional rivals, with Tanzania high on his wish list.
Even though Kenya and Tanzania didn’t face each other directly at the recently concluded CHAN 2024 tournament which they co-hosted with Uganda, the rivalry between the two was alive and well.
Both teams were keeping an eye on each other’s performances from different groups, and fans on either side had plenty of banter exchanged throughout the tournament.
The cross-border rivalry caught McCarthy’s attention, who has revealed his eagerness to take on Tanzania as a way to settle the friendly rivalry.
He also urged the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to engage FIFA in organizing a mini-tournament for East African nations, mentioning Uganda and Rwanda as other desired opponents.
Hopefully we can convince the federation to talk to FIFA – maybe they’ll back us a bit and help us set up a mini-tournament,” McCarthy said.
I’d love to invite Tanzania because I really want to play them. Uganda, Rwanda, all these East African teams it’d be great for neighbors to come together through football, share the moment, and of course, settle a few scores. But first -Tanzania.”
Stats settle the Kenya vs Tanzania debate
The Taifa Stars are currently ranked 103rd in the FIFA world rankings released in July, while Kenya sits six places below.
Both teams reached the quarterfinals of CHAN.
Tanzania was eliminated by Morocco a team Kenya defeated in the group stage. While Kenya was knocked out by Madagascar, who had previously lost to Tanzania in the groups.
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If the proposed tournament proceeds as the South African tactician hopes, the rivalry would continue with Kenya holding the upper hand in recent results.
Over their past 14 meetings since 2007, Harambee Stars have won seven matches, while Taifa Stars have managed only three victories, with four games ending in draws.
Additionally, Tanzania is yet to defeat Kenya in their last six encounters, which include four wins and two draws for Kenya.
What’s next for McCarthy and Harambee Stars?
With CHAN out of the way and two World Cup qualifiers already played in September; losing 3-1 to Gambia and bouncing back with a dominant 5-0 win over Seychelles, McCarthy says the next step is to dig deeper locally and build a more cohesive squad.
“For us as the technical team, it’s also about going to watch players at the club level, monitoring their progress, and staying updated. Then, at every opportunity to assemble a squad, we keep implementing the philosophy we want to apply and how we want the national team to play.
We have individual camps for local-based players, and we can also bring the internationals together. Even if it’s just a week-long camp, it’s a good way to catch up, refresh the players on our system, and keep them familiar with how we work in the national team.”