Benni McCarthy’s professional loyalty to Kenya has placed the South African football icon at the centre of a rivalry increasingly playing out beyond the pitch. When he explained last week that his allegiance lay with the country that employs him to coach the national men’s football team, Harambee Stars, he was outlining a familiar obligation in international football.

The timing, though, may have fed another narrative: it came as Kenyans and South Africans exchanged verbal tackles on social media.