South African national team legend Benni McCarthy was expected to be appointed as the head coach of the Kenyan national team.
In December, Engin Firat resigned, leaving Kenya without a head coach since then. McCarthy is still the top candidate for the position.
According to Pulse Sports, this appointment is expected to take place soon. However, the primary focus of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has been to resolve internal issues first. Because of this, the process has been delayed.
On Wednesday, FKF made public a report prepared by the Transition Ad Hoc Committee. The report revealed outstanding debts exceeding 380 million Kenyan Shillings and 21 ongoing legal disputes. Kenya wants to appoint McCarthy quickly but first needs to find a solution for its 383,940,846 Ksh debt.
FKF is now racing against time, as they aim to have their new head coach in place before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March. Harambee Stars’ first match will be an away fixture against Gambia, followed by a home game against Gabon.
McCarthy is expected to bring one assistant coach of his own, while the other assistant coach will be from Kenya. The head coach will be given a two-year contract.
Having previously managed Cape Town City and AmaZulu, McCarthy now faces a new challenge in Kenya. Will he succeed? Only time will tell.