McCarthy: We will fight to the end

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has vowed that the team will keep fighting for a place at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

McCarthy acknowledged that Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Gabon at a packed Nyayo National Stadium made Kenya’s road to qualification more difficult but insisted that they would continue fighting until the last match.

“So unfortunately, yes, the opportunity of qualifying has become even more difficult, but like I said, five more matches remain, and until the end, you want to try and win every game,” said the South African tactician.

“We want to continue to win matches, and you never know, maybe mathematically, somewhere there might still be a glimmer of hope that we can qualify when people sit with calculators when we play Cote d’Ivoire. Maybe we can find ourselves in that situation,” he said yesterday.

With the victory, Gabon, who have never qualified for the World Cup, climbed back to the top of Group ‘F’ with 15 points from six matches, while Cote d’Ivoire, who have 13 points from five games, have a chance to reclaim the top spot when they face the Gambia at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny Monday.

Burundi sit third with seven points from five matches, while Kenya, with six points from six games, are now fourth. Gambia and Seychelles, with four and zero points respectively, round out the group standings.

Only the group winners will qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be played in USA, Canada and Mexico. The four best second-placed teams across all groups will advance to a CAF playoff tournament.

The winner of that tournament will proceed to a Fifa intercontinental playoff, where they will fight for a final qualification spot.

McCarthy also criticised the referee’s officiating, particularly the penalty decision that allowed Gabon to score their second goal.

He argued that the call against Erick Ouma, who was penalised for a handball, was unfair and influenced the outcome of the game.

He emphasised that Kenya had shown great potential despite the limited training sessions.

“If a team plays like that and they trained only three times, then you should be scared. You should be fearing what is coming,” McCarthy said.

On skipper Michael Olunga missing a host of chances in yesterday’s match and also during Kenya's 3-3 draw with Gambia last Thursday, McCarthy defended the Al Duhail striker saying: “It is football. He was just unfortunate against Gambia. It happens, I was a striker and I used to miss a lot of chances.

He is our leader, he is the guy that I look for to set the example for the rest of the team because he is one of the best finishers that I see in the game and if there are players showing themselves and prove to be better than him, they will play but unfortunately, he is the best we have got. The fact that he is getting chances means the team is doing something well and it will come."

Yesterday’s match saw Nyayo Stadium filled to capacity with President William Ruto and Raila Odinga among those in attendance.

Ex-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the star of the match, scoring twice for Gabon in the 16th and 52nd minutes, while Kenya’s Michael Olunga pulled one back in the 62nd minute.

It was the first time since October 14, 2018, when Kenya defeated Ethiopia 3-0 in a 2019 Afcon qualifier, that Harambee Stars played in front of a fully packed home crowd.

Since then, attendance at Kenya’s home matches had declined due to poor marketing and inconsistent performances.

However, the excitement for Sunday’s game was fuelled by the fact that it was Kenya’s first home match since September 12, 2023, when they lost 1-0 to South Sudan in a friendly at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

It was also the first international match at Nyayo Stadium since November 15, 2021, when Kenya defeated Rwanda 2-1 in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) had announced on Saturday evening that all 22,900 tickets for the match had been sold out, with 21,000 regular tickets going for Sh300, 1,800 VIP tickets at Sh1,000, and 100 VVIP tickets priced at Sh10,000.

The atmosphere inside Nyayo was electric, with fans singing and dancing in the stands long before kick-off. The crowd erupted in excitement when the classic love song “Kasongo” played over the stadium speakers.

However, the high-energy event was not without controversy. A section of the crowd chanted anti-government slogans, shouting “Ruto Must Go”, while isolated incidents of violence were reported.

Among the incidents, Mumias East MP Peter Salasya was attacked by some fans, adding to the chaotic moments witnessed off the pitch.

McCarthy made several changes to his lineup for the match, opting to start Johnstone Omurwa, Timothy Ouma, William Lenkupae, and Mohammed Bajaber in place of Brian Mandela, Ismael Gonzalez, Eric Omondi, and John Avire.

The decision was influenced by Lenkupae and Bajaber’s impressive performances in the 3-3 draw over Gambia, where they both scored after coming on as substitutes.