‘Kenya stagnating due to poor squad rotation by Benni McCarthy – Reginald Asibwa

Former Harambee Stars midfielder Reginald Asibwa has criticised Kenya’s national team management, warning that poor squad rotation is undermining the team’s potential.

The South African coach, Benni McCarthy, came under fire following Kenya’s 8-0 defeat to Senegal in Antalya, Turkey.

Asibwa argued that the technical bench’s reliance on a narrow pool of players has left the team predictable and stagnant.

“If you keep rotating the same players with a big portion of them called from one club, it defies the simple logic of why the team should then be called Harambee Stars or the national team,” he told Flashscore.

The former player highlighted the importance of competition in raising standards.

“To subject other players from the many teams featuring in the league to a big blackout or omission is the biggest mistake our technical bench is making. Without competition in the team, Kenya will stagnate in our standards of football.”

He expressed frustration that talented players in the domestic league rarely get a chance to prove themselves.

“As of now, we are yet to develop a database that can be used to give detailed information about a player let alone even positioning scouts in our league matches to watch a player with potential to be considered for national team call ups.”

Kenya’s recent results underline his point. Under McCarthy, the team suffered heavy defeats in World Cup qualifiers against Gambia and Ivory Coast before briefly showing promise at the African Nations Championship.

The 8-0 loss to Senegal has reignited debates over squad selection and the need for structural reforms in the national team.

Asibwa concluded that change is urgent. “Lost to Gambia at home, Equatorial Guinea emerging better against us and being taught a lesson by Senegal is hard to stomach.”