Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy marks the field during a past training session at Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi/HANDOUTWhen the draw for the 2024 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) was unveiled, a collective gasp echoed across the nation.
Kenya, playing on home soil, found themselves in the lions’ den—Group A—where continental giants roam.
Two-time champions DRC Congo, the stylish double kings Morocco, Southern African powerhouses Zambia, and ever-dangerous Angola complete what pundits have dubbed “the group of death.”
But in the storm of predictions and cautious optimism, one man remains remarkably calm: Harambee Stars head coach, Benni McCarthy.
Clad in his signature cap and that familiar thoughtful glare, McCarthy speaks with the conviction of a general preparing soldiers for war—not with fear, but with faith.
“We didn’t ask for an easy ride. We asked for an opportunity to show Kenya belongs at the top,” McCarthy said during training at the refurbished Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
“If we feared names like Morocco or DRC, we wouldn’t be here. This is football. It’s 11 against 11. And we have 25 lions in this camp.”
Hosting, not hoping
With Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania co-hosting the tournament, expectations are sky-high.
Kenya open the campaign at home, under the blinding lights of a roaring Kasarani, with a nation watching and willing. The stakes? Nothing less than history.
Harambee Stars’ defender Sylvester Owino, one of Gor Mahia’s brightest, embodies the steely determination coursing through the squad.
“We know our group is tough. We’re not blind. But we’ve worked. We’ve sacrificed,” he said.
“Every morning session, every sprint, every tactical drill—it’s for this moment. We’re not tourists in this group. We’re contenders.”
Building a new identity
McCarthy, a seasoned tactician with a champion’s CV, has spent the last few months shaping Kenya’s local-based players into a well-oiled unit.
His focus has not been on fear, but on freedom—the freedom to express, to fight, to believe.
“My job is to let the boys play fearless football,” McCarthy explained. “We respect DRC, Morocco, Angola, and Zambia. But we don’t worship them. Respect doesn’t mean retreat.”
McCarthy has worked with technical director Francis Kimanzi and a revamped backroom staff to blend structure with spontaneity.
His selections reflect merit, not legacy.
“It’s not about what jersey you wore last year. It’s about what fire you carry today,” he said.
A nation behind a team
Outside the camp, the buzz is palpable. Street vendors sell Stars' jerseys alongside maize and mandazi.
Radio talk shows dissect tactics with the intensity of courtroom arguments. Kenya, so often a nation of watchers, is now a stage for African football’s biggest drama.
Football Federation of Kenya (FKF) President Hussein Mohamed summed it best: “This is our tournament. Our moment. We have world-class stadiums, top talent, and the best fans on the continent.”
Indeed, CHAN 2024 is more than just a tournament. It’s Kenya’s loudest statement in years.
As Benni’s boys march into the group of death, they do so with chins up and boots laced. In Nairobi, fear is not part of the game plan.
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