Kenya’s head coach Benni McCarthy has told fans to calm down with their big dreams for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Some Kenyan supporters have been talking about reaching the semi-finals when Kenya co-hosts the tournament. But McCarthy says that kind of thinking is not realistic.
The 47-year-old coach explained that Kenya is still far behind Africa’s best teams. He mentioned Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, Ivory Coast, and South Africa as sides that are currently playing at a much higher level.
“People mustn’t be silly,” McCarthy said.
He added that Kenya’s best hope might be to get out of the group stage. But even that will be very hard.
The coach pointed out that most of Kenya’s players are based in the Kenyan Premier League. And he said that league is not strong compared to others on the continent.
“The Kenyan Premier League, compared to the South African League, is very low,” he stated.
McCarthy also questioned how anyone could expect a semi-final without first beating some of Africa’s top teams.
“You can’t be too ambitious and think, ‘Hey, I want to reach the semi-final’. Who are you going to beat to get there?” he asked.
He gave an example: if Kenya is placed in a group with South Africa and Ivory Coast, only the top two go through. He asked fans to think honestly about where Kenya would finish.
The former South Africa striker made it clear that such comments from fans do bother him.
“It does upset you a little bit when you hear people giving silly comments and making statements like that, thinking they know more!” he said.
McCarthy has been in the game long enough to know the gap between Kenya and Africa’s best. And he wants fans to keep their expectations realistic.
