Benni McCarthy has delivered an impassioned warning to critics as Harambee Stars prepare to juggle the CECAFA Four Nations tournament with their build-up to the African Nations Championship (CHAN). The national team coach says he will absorb any flak directed at him, but will fiercely defend his players and backroom staff.
Known throughout his playing and coaching career for wearing his heart on his sleeve, McCarthy said that emotional outbursts seen on the touchline stem from loyalty rather than ego. “If you mess with my players, my people, then you mess with the lion,” he said, adding that he is comfortable being the public lightning rod. “I’ve got a bulletproof vest on, so you can shoot as much as you want. It’s going to hurt, but it won’t get through.”
McCarthy explained that not everyone in a squad processes pressure the same way. He worries that harsh or personal criticism can “break” players who may be dealing with stress, heartbreak, or confidence dips away from the public eye. Because of that, he believes a head coach must sometimes step forward and take the heat so that athletes can focus on performance and growth.
The South African tactician has already had to steady nerves after recent squad withdrawals ahead of the CHAN window, insisting he does not need to “convince anybody” to represent the national team. He prefers to invest energy in the committed group in camp, emphasising unity, trust, and honest standards.
With regional competition and CHAN qualifying fixtures coming in quick succession, McCarthy is challenging Kenyan supporters to back the team even when results wobble. Patience now, he argues, will pay off in tournament sharpness and depth later in the cycle. For him, protecting players is not about shielding them from accountability but about ensuring criticism is constructive, informed, and directed through proper channels.
McCarthy and his staff have added one-to-one check-ins, mental skills work, and clearer communication lines across players, medical, and technical units to spot issues early. Safeguarding well-being, he argues, is a competitive edge: protected players run harder, decide quicker, and stay together under tournament pressure when the stakes rise.
For now, the coach wants all criticism channelled his way and all encouragement directed toward the dressing room—where Kenya’s CHAN dream, he insists, is being built daily. brick by brick.
