Mosimane urges Bafana to respect McCarthy ahead of Kenya qualifiers

Pitso Mosimane has warned South Africa not to underestimate Benni McCarthy or a Kenya side under pressure when the teams meet in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header.

The first of the back-to-back Group D fixtures takes place on Friday at Orlando Stadium, with Kenya facing a difficult task after taking only one point from their opening two matches.

The Harambee Stars are bottom of the group, while Bafana Bafana lead with six points after winning both of their games.

Mosimane believes Kenya’s precarious position could make them particularly dangerous, especially if McCarthy’s future as coach is influenced by the result.

“If a player or a coach’s future depends on a game, you’ve got to be very careful of that, because sometimes the players play for him and you can get the best surprise you can ever have,” Mosimane said during a press briefing on Monday at Milpark Stadium, where South Africa are training.

“So be very careful of playing an emotional team, especially when they have nothing to lose.”

The former Al Ahly coach also stressed that McCarthy’s character and achievements mean he should not be taken lightly.

The 62-year-old said the former South African international’s competitive instincts and desire to win could inspire his team in the two fixtures.

“And also, you’re mentioning Benni, you know the personality, the character of the will to win, the personality of fighting in football, for his name, for his work, you’ve got to also respect that Benni is a good coach,” Mosimane said.

“Benni was coaching Manchester United, a dream that any coach in South Africa wishes to have, right? Coaching (Cristiano) Ronaldo, excuse me.

“So you have to respect the level at which he has coached, you’ve got to respect the level at which he has played.”

Mosimane added that McCarthy’s record placed him in a different category from many of his South African coaching counterparts.

“None of us (in SA) has the gold medal of the (UEFA) Champions League, so you’ve got to understand those facts I’m giving you, what kind of person we’re talking about, in terms of the personality to win at all costs,” he said.

“So we have to give respect to that.”

The Bafana coach also warned against assessing Kenya solely by their position in the qualifying table, pointing to the international backgrounds of several players in McCarthy’s squad.

“They have players from England, Spain, from Wales, Sweden, France, excuse me, so be careful of you undermining teams,” Mosimane said.

South Africa and Kenya will meet twice in succession, with both matches forming part of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.