Benni McCarthy has spoken out about continuously being overlooked by the likes of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, which has made him focus his efforts for a head-coach role on Europe.
McCarthy, 47, has coached at Cape Town City, winning the MTN8 in 2018 before guiding AmaZulu into the CAF Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
There had been cries for him to coach the Soweto giants, but the two clubs seemingly never made contact with the ambitious South African coach, who ended up in Erik Ten Hag’s technical team at Manchester United.
Now, that McCarthy is unattached after his United contract ran out, he has opened up why he has almost given up on getting a top gig in South Africa.
“After coach Gavin Hunt left Kaizer Chiefs, there was a possibility that I could’ve gotten the job but never did,” he told Robert Marawa.
“Just before coach Nabi [came], there was opportunity, there was cry from everybody, but I never got because for whatever reason, never.
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“Pirates – I played at Pirates – before coach Jose Riveiro came there was an opportunity, I was doing exceptionally well with one of the teams one would probably least expect – AmaZulu – there would’ve been an opportunity to go there, but it didn’t happen.
“Why not? Exactly, that’s just the trend. You get to that stage where you think, that is my home, I love South Africa, I love our football, but I’m probably never going to manage there unless it is your Richards Bay, your AmaZulu, your Cape Town City.
“So, you rather say stuff that, let me rather go and knock on every door I possibly can in Europe and one day it’s gonna open and if it opens things is going to change. Then I’ll have the opportunity I always wanted.”
McCarthy, though, insisted that he has not given up on coaching in South Africa again.
“I’m not saying that I am done but I think my vision is just so open-minded and I’ve got a completely different vision,” he added.
“If it happens one day and I am still unattached, I would think about it, I would at it and if it’s in line with what I still want to achieve, then why not. I’ll never say never…”
When quizzed whether he would be interested in filling the vacant position at Richards Bay, he outright dismissed that notion with a simple “no”.
