Titus Mulama gives his verdict on South African legend Benni McCarthy’s links to Harambee Stars job

Benni McCarthy || Imago

Titus Mulama gives his verdict on South African legend Benni McCarthy’s links to Harambee Stars job

Joel Omotto 11:30 - 07.01.2025

The former Kenyan midfielder has weighed in on reports that the Bafana Bafana legend is potentially on his way to being unveiled the next Harambee Stars coach.

Former Kenyan international Titus Mulama is among those backing South African legend Benni McCarthy for the Harambee Stars job.

McCarthy is reported to have agreed to become the next Kenya national team coach to replace Engin Firat, following his resignation in December, and his possible appointment had attracted mixed reactions.

However, Mulama feels the 47-year-old can succeed in Kenya given his experience playing and coaching on the continent as he has a good understanding of African football.

“If he is appointed, it would be great because he understands African football because he played here and he is an African,” Mulama told TUKO.

“So, it would be easy for him to connect with the players and understand our football culture. Moreover, he has been an assistant in a top-level team and therefore, he understands how to work with players and bring out the best performances.

“Players will also be motivated because they are working with a coach who has been there and done that,” added Mulama, who had early last month expressed his desire to see a coach who understands African football replace Firat.

McCarthy’s last coaching job was as an attacking coach at Premier League club Manchester United, working under Erik ten Hag between July 2022 and June 2024, before he left at the expiry of his contract.

He is highly regarded in South Africa owing to his stints as coach of Cape Town City and AmaZulu. He led Cape Town to the 2018 MTN crown before guiding AmaZulu to second place in the 2020-21 season, the club’s best-ever finish in the South African league, before leading them to the CAF Champions League group stages.

As a player, McCarthy is South Africa’s leading scorer and remains the country’s only player to have won the UEFA Champions League, when he claimed it with Portuguese giants FC Porto in 2004, while he also played for Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam, Celta Vigo in Spain, Blackburn Rovers and West Ham in the Premier League as well as Orlando Pirates back home.