Benni McCarthy Reveals His Vision for Austin Odhiambo, Manzur Okwaro and Co Beyond CHAN 2024

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has big plans for Austin Odhiambo, Manzur Okwaro, Ryan Ogam and Co. after the African Nations Championship (CHAN 2024).

Harambee Stars will be playing in the CHAN 2024 quarterfinal against Madagascar on Friday, August 22, and after that, Benni McCarthy will start looking into the squad to represent the country in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

There will be no time to waste as Harambee Stars have two crucial matches, according to FIFA’s official portal, which confirms that Harambee Stars will open their home campaign against The Gambia on Friday, September 5, at Kasarani Stadium.

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On Tuesday, September 9, Harambee Stars will return to the same venue to face Seychelles in another 4:00 pm clash.

Selecting a formidable squad is always difficult, but this time around, it will be quite easy for Benni McCarthy, who intends to give a chance to locally based players to shine.

The former Manchester United attacking coach revealed that the players have made him proud in their CHAN 2024 campaign, and it would be selfish of him not to give several of them a chance to represent the country once again.

The Harambee Stars coach pointed out that coming from playing in the local league to reaching the quarterfinals of CHAN was no small feat.

He admitted that the group stages had not been easy given the level of opposition, but he praised the players for stepping up their performances.

For him, that was a sign of players who understood when to rise to the occasion and how quickly they needed to adapt to different levels and environments.

“Once we finish tomorrow’s game, we’ll have discussions about players coming from abroad, but at the same time, you can’t ignore what this team has done,” Benni McCarthy said in the pre-match press conference ahead of facing off against Madagascar.

“I think from when we started, from when I came in, I thought the level of the team was okay-ish, but to where we are now, I think these boys have made a huge step up. Don’t be surprised if you see this squad graduate to the national level because that’s the trust that I have in them.

“I think they are good enough to make the jump to the national team because they made the jump from the local league to CHAN and are looking like extreme champions. Don’t be surprised if three-quarters of the squad graduate to the national team.”

Harambee Stars players began their CHAN 2024 campaign with a 1-0 win over two-time champions DR Congo, thanks to a strike from Austin Odhiambo.

They later battled Angola to a 1-1 draw, with Austin Odhiambo’s penalty proving decisive in rescuing a point. In their match against Morocco, Ryan Ogam rose to the occasion as Harambee Stars won 1-0.

They rounded up their group stage campaign with a 1-0 win over Zambia as Ryan Ogam found the back of the net. Now, Benni McCarthy wants to give them a chance to perform on an even greater stage, with the belief that they will live up to the billing.