Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy believes Bafana Bafana would have performed far better at the 2026 FIFA World Cup had they been led by a local tactician like Pitso Mosimane.
Speaking ahead of Harambee Stars’ AFCON qualifier against South Africa at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday, McCarthy praised the newfound freedom in the Bafana squad under a coach who “bleeds South African.”
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While insisting he was not criticizing former mentor Hugo Broos, McCarthy suggested that having a manager who truly understands the local players would have made a significant difference on the global stage.
“Local is lekker, you know, you can see the players play with freedom. There’s a lot of excitement, there’s joy within the camp,” said McCarthy.
“And yeah, they’ve got a coach now that understands them, that understands the culture, that understands what it means to bleed South African.
“And it’s amazing to see, if only we had it at the World Cup, I think South Africa would have probably done a little bit better than what they did.
“Not criticising or not saying anything bad to what the previous coach has done, but I just feel that, when you watch Bafana now, so many players that you saw, they’re tense, like they were very tense when they put on that shirt, a bit of nervousness and that, but now they play with so much freedom.
“So yeah, and it’s great as a South African to see like what your country is doing and what the players are also doing. It’s fantastic to see and I really wish, you know, that they have endless success under the leadership of coach Pitso.”