NAIROBI, Kenya, March 4, 2026 – Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has dismissed rumours linking him with a move to South African giants Kaizer Chiefs.
McCarthy says Chiefs have not approached him, adding that they know where to find him — if they want him.
“What-ifs to me don’t exist no more because I’ve been in plenty of situations, even with Orlando Pirates. I was very close to managing Pirates after my playing career and then nothing materialised. If they (Kaizer Chiefs) want, they know where I am. They know where to find me. They know how to contact me, to make it happen. But if not, it’s just a rumour,” the former South African striker said.
Chiefs are currently under the tutelage of an interim technical bench led by Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, following the departure of Nasreddine Nabi in October last year.
The former Porto striker has previously expressed a desire to return to coaching at club level, having previously worked at Cape Town City FC, AmaZulu as well as Manchester United — as a forwards coach.
During the interview with decorated sportscaster Robert Marawa — on the latter’s Marawa Sports Worldwide — on Tuesday, McCarthy once again reiterated this desire.
“I want to go back into club football, you know, I want to manage because I feel like I miss the day-to-day and making players better, working closely with them and yeah, and just upsetting other coaches in other clubs. I love doing that. I thrive on that,” he said.
McCarthy joined Harambee Stars in March last year after departing Manchester United where he was part of Dutchman Erik Ten Hag’s technical bench.
The South African has been credited with injecting new life into the national team, particularly at last year’s Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) on home soil.
Making their maiden appearance at the continental competition, Harambee Stars went all the way to the quarterfinals, while beating eventual champions Morocco as well as Zambia along the way.
However, one of his lowest points in charge of the national team was last November’s 8-0 drubbing by Senegal in an international friendly in Turkey.
Overall, McCarthy’s time at the helm of the team has been a mixed bag of results consisting of six wins, six losses and three draws.
Nonetheless, the South African has been credited for handing debuts to a number of exciting youngsters, including France-based Manzur Okwaro, Real Sociedad’s Job Ochieng’, Nairobi United’s Kelvin Otiende and Gor Mahia’s Bryton Onyona, among others.
The South African is expected to remain in charge for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and has gone about building a formidable squad in time for the competition.
