‘But we are professional enough that we do our jobs,’ says former Bafana star

Benni McCarthy alleges he and his technical staff have still not been paid by the Football Kenyan Federation despite a strike at their last camp.

The former Bafana Bafana star said he continues to do his job as best he can, saying eventually Fifa and the Confederation of African Football will have to step in to resolve the situation.

McCarthy took up the Kenya national job with fellow South Africans Vasili Manousakis (assistant coach), Moeneeb Josephs (goalkeeper coach) and Pilela Maposa (performance coach) in March 2025 and has had mixed results.

In an interview with internet channel SportyTV, he alleged that while his players have received unpaid salaries and bonuses after going on strike, the coaching staff have not been paid.

In late September and early October Kenya began their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign, drawing 1-1 against Eritrea at home, then losing 1-0 against Guinea away, before a 0-0 friendly draw against Rwanda in Kigali in a camp where they barely trained while on strike.

The Harambee Stars, ranked 114^th by Fifa, resume their Afcon Group D campaign by meeting Bafana at Orlando Stadium on Friday (6pm), and then in Nairobi again on Tuesday.

“Nobody wants to come to camp and then you go on strike because players, coaches and technical staff haven’t been paid,” McCarthy said.

“Salaries, bonuses and allowances from three, four camps ago, already. And now, still, in every camp you come and people [haven’t been paid].

“That’s why the players ended up coming together as a team and saying until they receive what’s owed to them by the federation, they are going to be reluctant to train and play.

“We [went on] strike for almost the whole camp, in which we had one training session and I had to convince the players to train the day before the Eritrea game. We had a captain’s run and one-hour training session that was [really only] a walk-down.

“I wouldn’t allow the players to not play [the game] because I have never allowed that in my career.

“I convinced them to train the day before the game and play on the match day, where we did really well for a team that had not trained [fully] for one day. We didn’t get the win but we drew and missed 10, 15 opportunities.

“Obviously travelling to Guinea it was exactly the same., players waiting for what was happening. Eventually, in dribs and drabs, players ended up getting allowances because enough pressure was put on the federation and the ministry.

After football matches we fight for whatever it is we’re fighting for. But while we’re there we work to leave that country in a far better state than we found them in.

—  Kenya coach Benni McCarthy

“But yeah, the technical staff, still nothing [paid].

“But my job is always to go there and leave Kenya in a better position than I found them. At the end of the day, [with] the authorities they [the Kenyan FA] will come good and they will have to pay. Because obviously Fifa and Caf will intervene in these situations.

“But we are professional enough that when we go there we do our jobs.

“After football matches we fight for whatever it is we’re fighting for. But while we’re there we work to leave that country in a far better state than we found them in.”

As co-hosts with Uganda and Tanzania, Kenya do not need to qualify for the 2027 Afcon, taking part in the qualifiers for experience and competitive match purposes.

One of Group D’s remaining teams — South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea — progresses to the tournament.