NAIROBI, Kenya, March 24, 2026 – Even as he leads his troops to the Fifa Global Series in Kigali, Rwanda, Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy is a man under increasing scrutiny over some of his selections.
Social media has been alight for the past two days, fans questioning the rationale for some of the players he has called up to this Friday’s duel against Estonia.
For instance, eyebrows were raised and questions asked over the inclusion of Gor Mahia midfielder Ben Stanley Omondi and his Kenya Police counterpart Daniel Sakari, both of who have seen minimal game time with their respective clubs.
Whereas Sakari was part of McCarthy’s provisional squad, Omondi was grafted in as replacement for the unavailable Michael Olunga.
Both Omondi and Sakari have been mainstays of the national team; particularly, they were part of the glorious African Nations Championships (CHAN) squad that reached the quarterfinals of the continental competition on home soil.
Surprise exclusions
Questions also abound over the absence of a number of players who have shone for their respective clubs in recent months.
Zambian-based Moses Shummah has been a man in sizzling form for his club, Power Dynamos, finding the back of the net on 15 occasions.
Back home in Kenya, Joe Waithira has been at the heart of Murang’a Seal’s success, scoring 15 goals to top the scorers’ chart.
Kariobangi Sharks youngster Humphrey Aroko has also been a bright spark in an otherwise gloomy season for the slumboys.
The national under 20 team striker has shown excellent goalscoring streak, having struck 12 times in all competitions – seven in the league and a further five in the domestic cup competitions.
Criteria for selection
Speaking ahead of their departure for the Rwandese capital, the South African pointed out all the players are in the squad by merit.
“A lot of the players you see here are players that have done well for me since I started here. So, I am not going to turn my back now on anybody because some coaches are crying. We are monitoring all the players in the local league and if you do well, yeah, we do select,” the former Porto striker said.
He dismissed criticism from certain quarters, particularly club officials who feel his selection process is biased.
“They need to worry about their position where they are in the log and their teams. If their players are better than what we’ve selected, then yeah, they’ve got a case…but up until then, I am here to be proven wrong,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said he is ready to take accountability for his selection choices should they go haywire.
In particular, he pointed to last November’s 8-0 thrashing by Senegal as an instance where his team selection backfired.
“Experimenting doesn’t end well. Then who must face the music? Those coaches are crying for their players because it was their players that was part of the team. I am the one that has to answer for that. Rightfully so because I thought it was an opportunity for them to put them in the squad. And unfortunately, the end result wasn’t what we wanted,” he said.
Debates over who deserves – and who doesn’t – a national team call-up are as old as Harambee Stars have been in contention at the international stage.
Going by the latest sentiments, it would seem that McCarthy is not immune to such scrutiny.
The only way he will shut up the critics is by delivering positive results on the pitch.
