AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Mosimane warns South Africa against danger of McCarthy’s Kenya

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has warned his players against underestimating Kenya ahead of their back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches.

Mosimane believes the circumstances surrounding Kenya coach Benni McCarthy could make the Harambee Stars particularly dangerous, with the players potentially motivated to deliver positive results in support of their manager.

Speaking as South Africa began preparations at Milpark Stadium in Johannesburg on Monday, Mosimane said teams facing uncertainty over their coach’s future can often produce unexpected performances.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns manager also believes Kenya could approach the fixtures with freedom, having already secured qualification for the AFCON finals as tournament hosts.

“I’ll take your words when you say, when the future of the coach depends on the game, you’ve got to be very careful. Sometimes the players will play for him,” Mosimane said.

“You can get the biggest surprise you can ever have. So, you need to be very careful when playing an emotional team, especially when they have nothing to lose.

“They are already in the Cup of Nations finals. So, you need to be very careful of those. That’s what we’re doing.”

Mosimane also paid tribute to McCarthy, insisting the former South Africa international deserves respect for his achievements and experience at the highest level of football.

McCarthy previously worked at Manchester United, where he was part of the coaching staff during Cristiano Ronaldo’s second spell at the club.

“Also, Benni, his personality, he has the character and that will to win, the personality of fighting for his name in football,” he added.

“We have to respect the fact that he is a good coach. He was at Manchester United, a dream for every coach in South Africa. He was coaching [Cristiano] Ronaldo.

“He has the personality to fight. He played at a high level and has a [UEFA] Champions League [gold] medal.”

South Africa will be keen to secure positive results in the two fixtures as preparations continue for their AFCON qualifying campaign.