{
  "id": 9531008,
  "title": "Kenya coach Benni McCarthy promises no favours for Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/kenya-coach-benni-mccarthy-promises-no-favours-for-pitso-mosimanes",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-24T09:36:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/bafana/2026-09-24-kenya-coach-benni-mccarthy-promises-no-favours-for-pitso-mosimanes-bafana-bafana/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Benni McCarthy, the coach of Kenya's national team, has expressed his delight for Pitso Mosimane's appointment as the head coach of South Africa's Bafana Bafana side. However, McCarthy has made it clear that any such goodwill will not influence their upcoming qualification matches. Mosimane, who returned to the national team role after a 14-year hiatus, is expected to build on the strong foundation laid by previous coach Hugo Broos. Despite the global outpouring of support for Mosimane, McCarthy did not reciprocate by congratulating anyone on his Twitter account. When asked about his silence, McCarthy stated, \"Nobody congratulated me when I got the Kenyan national team job. Now, why must I congratulate other people when they got something?\" McCarthy emphasized that he is happy for Mosimane's success and that mutual respect will be evident when the two teams face each other in the qualifiers in November. Bafana Bafana, as hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), face a significant challenge in the qualification campaign, as they must earn their spots through merit. McCarthy, while expressing his pride in South Africa, remains focused on his current team, Kenya. He stated, \"Me being born in South Africa... will always be about that. But I am coaching Kenya, there’s no ‘ah, it’s my country.’ My loyalty goes to the team that believes in me.\"",
  "summary": "Benni McCarthy respects Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana return, but insists his full loyalty lies with Kenya ahead of their upcoming 2027 AFCON qualifiers.",
  "key_points": [
    "Benni McCarthy, Kenya coach, promises no favors for Mosimane's Bafana Bafana.",
    "Mosimane returns to coaching after 14-year break, set to lead South Africa.",
    "McCarthy focuses on Kenya team, no country loyalty mentioned."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}