Benni McCarthy: Kenyans must respect Wanyama and other football icons
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has called for respect towards Victor Wanyama and other Kenyan football icons, describing the midfielder’s absence from the squad for upcoming friendlies against Chad as unfortunate but due to personal family matters.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has urged Kenyans to show respect to former national team captain Victor Wanyama, following his withdrawal from the squad set to face Chad in two international friendlies.
Wanyama, who had been named in Kenya’s provisional squad more than four years after retiring from international duty, pulled out due to personal commitments in the United Kingdom. He was subsequently replaced by Gor Mahia’s Austin Odhiambo.
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“It’s unfortunate that Wanyama couldn’t make it because he’s got family matters, so it is not a question of the player not wanting to come,” McCarthy said.
“He is a local icon. He is somebody this country has to respect. When it comes to football, he is one of the players who put Kenya’s name on the map—together with Michael Olunga and Macdonald Mariga. It is unfortunate, but there will be other opportunities.”
McCarthy made the remarks after overseeing Harambee Stars’ first training session in Nairobi on Monday. The team is preparing for friendly matches against Chad on June 7 and June 10 in Morocco, as part of their build-up to the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) scheduled for August.
The 25-man squad took part in a session focused on building match fitness, fine-tuning tactics, and improving team cohesion. McCarthy praised the players’ attitude and said the two upcoming friendlies would be key in evaluating his options.
“I hope we will have a good week and I think these two friendly matches that are coming up are just to give everyone match fitness and to get us going for CHAN. That is the purpose of this camp,” he explained.
McCarthy also defended his inclusion of foreign-based players with limited recent game time, including William Wilson, who stood out during Kenya’s World Cup qualifiers but has struggled for minutes at club level.
“This camp will give him a nice opportunity to play two games and keep himself involved with the national team. There’s something there - he’s a fantastic player, and you want to keep him around. For AFCON 2027, Kenya will want players like that.”
As for the omission of promising U20 talent, McCarthy said he made the decision to give them time to rest after a demanding Africa U20 Cup of Nations campaign, while also focusing on evaluating other options.
“I would like to give young players the opportunity, but they also need rest. I also want to assess the players currently in camp. I want the best players for CHAN—I don’t want to go there just to participate and lose every game. I have to look at things from all angles,” he said.
“I picked a team that I believe is strong, with some experience, and they are players the younger ones can learn from when we bring them in.”
With preparations underway and friendlies lined up, McCarthy is working to build a competitive group ahead of CHAN 2024 tournament that is set to be held jointly by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in August.
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