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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 26957, member: 2262"] Benni McCarthy believes Kenya can shock the world by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. He's just been named the country's new head coach on a two-year contract. His job is to guide the Harambee Stars through the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Kenya will co-host with Tanzania and Uganda. McCarthy is taking over from interim coach Francis Kimanzi. Kimanzi stepped in after Turkish coach Engin Firat left at the end of last year. McCarthy's first big test will be this month's World Cup qualifiers against The Gambia and Gabon. The 47-year-old South African wants to give his players the incredible experience of playing in the World Cup. He thinks that with the right attitude, dedication, and willingness to learn, Kenya can surprise many people and still qualify for the tournament. Right now, Kenya is fourth out of six teams in its qualifying group. It has five points from four games, which puts it five points behind leaders Ivory Coast. Only the group winners automatically qualify for the World Cup. The four best runners-up from the nine groups will have a second chance through the play-offs. McCarthy is a big name in African football. He's South Africa's all-time leading goalscorer and played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. Kenya has never qualified for the tournament before. As a player, McCarthy had a successful career in Europe. He won Dutch league and cup titles with Ajax, then did the same in Portugal with Jose Mourinho's Porto team. He also won the Champions League with Porto in 2004. After that, McCarthy spent five years playing in the Premier League for Blackburn Rovers and West Ham. He finished his playing career back home in South Africa with Orlando Pirates. McCarthy started coaching as an assistant with Belgian club Sint-Truiden. He then became the manager of Cape Town City and AmaZulu in South Africa. Most recently, he was part of Erik ten Hag's coaching staff at Manchester United. McCarthy said working at United was an incredible opportunity, but he felt the time was right to return to being a manager and helping players grow. He sees the Kenya job as a way to give back to the continent that's given him everything. Kenya was actually banned from international football as recently as 2022. The country's sports ministry had disbanded the national football federation over alleged misuse of funds. But after recent elections, the federation is operating under new leadership, including former Inter Milan midfielder McDonald Mariga as vice president. Hiring McCarthy shows that the new administration means business. They're also set to co-host this year's delayed African Nations Championship, a tournament for homegrown African players. McCarthy will lead that team, too. He's promising Kenyan fans a hardworking team that reflects the country's values. He wants his players to be as loyal and passionate as the Kenyan people. He believes they should be willing to die for the shirt and make the fans proud every time they step off the field. McCarthy describes himself as an exceptional winner who hates losing. He wants to give Kenyans a team they can identify with and be proud of. It's all about hard work, hunger, desire, and passion. That's the kind of football he plans to bring to Kenya. [/QUOTE]

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