McCarthy reveals why some players turned down Harambee Stars call-ups

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has admitted that some players have been reluctant to honour national team call-ups because of negative experiences they have had with Kenya in the past.

With Kenya set to kick off their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign against Eritrea on Saturday at Nyayo National Stadium, McCarthy has revealed some of the difficulties he has faced while trying to assemble his strongest possible squad.

The South African tactician says injuries have been responsible for several withdrawals from the squad but he also knows that there are other reasons behind some players’ decisions not to report for national duty.

The FC Porto legend who has been in charge of Harambee Stars for about a year and a half says the relationship he has built with the players has allowed some of them to be open with him about their experiences within the national team setup.

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“Unfortunately, some circumstances have also not been pleasant because we have had a lot of players withdrawing from the squad as well due to injuries,” McCarthy said.

“Obviously, the relationship that I have with everybody in the team, I think players know they have honesty because, like I said, I have a fantastic relationship with the team and individual players. I think players are very honest with me and vice versa.”

The former Bafana Bafana striker, however, suggested that not every withdrawal can simply be explained by an injury.

“So a lot of the withdrawals have come from injuries, but I also know the real story behind it. But that’s a story for another day,” he added.

McCarthy admitted that the situation presents a difficult challenge because, like any national team coach, he wants the best available players in his squad.

However, he also believes he has to respect the experiences of players who were part of the national team before his arrival.

“That makes my job a little bit difficult and as a coach you want the best players in your squad, but you also have to understand everybody’s circumstances and what they’ve been through with the national team,” he said.

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According to McCarthy, some of the players’ decisions are influenced by problems they encountered before he took over, making it difficult for him to convince them to return to the national team.

“It’s impossible for me to make them change their mind because so many things have happened and every story that has been told to me makes me understand,” McCarthy explained.

The coach says he has therefore chosen not to force players into making a decision they are uncomfortable with, leaving the matter to the individuals and their clubs.

“I leave it up to players and their clubs and when they take the route of not honouring to come and play for the national team, then there’s not much I can do about it because of the past histories and what players have experienced with the national team,” he said.

McCarthy also acknowledged that some players may officially withdraw because of injuries while privately having other concerns about returning to the national team.

“For me to judge and want to throw tantrums because players are saying they are injured because they don’t want to come, but the real reasons behind that is because of the problems that we continuously face in the national team, that’s a losing battle that I will fight and I’m not always going to win it,” he added.

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The coach also recognises that many of the players have been part of Harambee Stars for much longer than he has, meaning their experiences with the national team predate his tenure.

“Some people have definitely experienced more than me in the journey in the national team. I’ve only been in here a year and a half, so my journey experience is one part and the majority of the players have been here before me already,” McCarthy said.

His comments come as Kenya prepare for a new AFCON qualifying campaign despite already having secured automatic qualification for the 2027 tournament as co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania.

Harambee Stars will host Eritrea on Saturday before travelling to Guinea on October 1. They will later face South Africa twice in November with the remaining matches against Eritrea and Guinea scheduled for March 2027.

For McCarthy, the immediate task is getting the players available and focused on the job ahead, while also navigating the historical issues that continue to influence some players’ relationship with the national team.