Pitso Mosimane warns Benni McCarthy will be determined to deny South Africa

South Africa head coach Pitso Mosimane says Benni McCarthy will do everything in his power to prevent his country of birth from defeating Kenya in their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header.

McCarthy is now head coach of the Kenyan national team and has previously been urged by supporters to take charge of Bafana Bafana.

South Africa will meet Kenya’s Harambee Stars twice during the next FIFA break, with the matches scheduled for November 13 and November 17.

Mosimane said he understood the importance of the two games for McCarthy, whose Kenya side will be determined to take advantage of the opportunity.

“Football is not how you start; it’s how you finish. So, I’m a very conservative coach, and I have nerves of steel, you know, because we still have to qualify for AFCON,” Mosimane told SABC News.

“It looks good now, but we’ve got Kenya back-to-back, so that’s where everything will be [clearer]. And Benni will never allow us to win, you know that.”

The meetings with Kenya will provide another significant test for Mosimane, who has made an unbeaten start to his second spell in charge of the national team.

The coach, who is nicknamed ‘Jingles’, has won each of his first three matches since returning to the Bafana Bafana post.

That run has included a high-profile friendly against Egypt in Cairo, further strengthening the positive early results of his second tenure.

Despite South Africa’s encouraging position, Mosimane stressed that qualification for AFCON will not be determined until the decisive fixtures have been played.