McCarthy asks Harambee Stars to be ruthless

Harambee Stars' head Coach Benni McCarthy instruct players against Gabon in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at The Nyayo National stadium, March 23, 2025. Gabon won 2-1. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has challenged his players to be more ruthless in front of goal as they prepare to face Chad again today in a friendly match in Marrakech, Morocco.

The two teams played to a frustrating 0-0 draw over the weekend, with Kenya failing to make their dominance count. Chad, ranked 177th in the world—66 places below Kenya—defended deep and frustrated McCarthy’s team for the full 90 minutes.

“It was a match we should have won,” said McCarthy after the game. “We had many chances, but we were just not sharp enough to score.”

Kenya is using these friendly matches to prepare for the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN), which they will host in August. CHAN tournament is a big opportunity for the country, and McCarthy wants his players to be ready to compete at the highest level.

In Saturday’s match, Harambee Stars controlled most of the play as Chad defended in numbers.

They rarely threatened Kenya’s goal, but the Stars could not find a way through.

Even after Chad were reduced to 10 men in the second half, Kenya still couldn’t score.

McCarthy was clearly disappointed, especially because he believed his team could have won by two or three goals if they had been more focused and composed in the final third.

He has now called on his players to show a better mentality in today’s rematch.

“This is international football,” he said. “You don’t get too many chances, and when you do, you must take them. We need to be faster, sharper, and hungrier.”

This was McCarthy’s third match in charge of Harambee Stars. His first two games ended in a 3-3 draw against The Gambia and a 2-1 defeat to Gabon in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

While his team has shown flashes of attacking promise, the results have not been convincing. The South African coach, who joined the team three months ago, is trying to build a new-look squad that can compete at CHAN and beyond. He gave several new players a chance against Chad, hoping to test their readiness at the international level.

While the team is still learning to play together, McCarthy insists that they must start winning games, especially against lower-ranked opponents like Chad.

Kenya will get that chance again today in the return match. McCarthy is expected to make a few changes to his starting lineup, with the hope of bringing in fresh legs and maybe a bit more urgency.

For McCarthy, there’s only one message: Be ruthless.