AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Benni McCarthy criticises referee after Kenya’s defeat by Guinea

Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy has criticised the referee following his side’s 1-0 defeat by Guinea in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

The Harambee Stars remain without a win after their opening two matches in Group E, having suffered defeat by Guinea on Thursday.

McCarthy was particularly unhappy with the decision to allow Guinea’s winning goal to stand, claiming a foul had been committed in the build-up.

“If you watched the game, I don’t think the referee had one of his best matches today, because it was very one-sided,” McCarthy said, according to Mozzart Sport.

“Especially for the goal, he was looking at the foul, but he just completely ignored it, and allowed the goal to stand.

“If there was VAR, or in South Africa, Morocco, or Egypt, the goal would have been disallowed. At a higher level, the goal would have been disallowed because of the incompetence of the referee, and he was very arrogant.”

McCarthy, who previously managed South African club AmaZulu, also questioned the absence of VAR in the match and argued that the technology could have changed the outcome of the decision.

Despite the defeat, the former South Africa international praised his players for their performance against a more experienced Guinea side.

“If we had some experience like Guinea had, I think maybe it would have been a different situation,” he said.

“We created some nervy moments for them, but unfortunately lacked a bit of experience in the final third.”

The former Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers striker said Kenya had exceeded expectations by remaining competitive against Guinea.

“I am very proud of the players, and the fight they put in,” McCarthy added.

“People expected us to lose by three, four or five goals, but I think Guinea today was very fortunate that we didn’t make use of the opportunities we created.”

Kenya will now look to recover from their difficult start as they continue their campaign to qualify for the 2027 AFCON finals.